Aadujeevitham: How the real Kerala story is snubbed in national awards
Prithviraj Sukumaran and director Ashirwad’s ‘Manjeevitha’ aka ‘The Bakri Life’ was snatched at the National Film Awards, which was announced on 1 August in New Delhi. Many fans reported that it was a serious misconception by the jury.
In short
- 71st National Film Award 2023 declared in New Delhi
- ‘Aadujeevitham’ snatched away despite significant praise and technical excellence
- ‘Kerala Story’ won the best direction and cinematography amid controversy
The 71st National Film Awards for the year 2023 were announced in New Delhi on Friday. While many new entrances were seen in the list, such as Shah Rukh Khan, it was also criticized to honor the films that were controversial. Like every year, fans and internet users pointed to films that were taken away by the jury.
However, fans of Kerala and Malayali are angry at the snubbing of actor Prithviraj Sukumaran and director Ashirwad’s ‘Manjivitha’. More and more for a major class of people, including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, had two honors for the controversial ‘The Kerala Story’ – under the best direction and best cinematography.
Aadujeevitham – Real Kerala Story Snowbade
While the ‘Manjivitha’ of director Ashirwad was released in 2024, it was censored on 31 December, 2023, which makes it worthy of dispute for that year. A film based on the novel of the same name written by Benyamin is a drama to survive, in which Prithviraj Sukumaran is a Malayali immigrant laborer as Najeeb, who is taken as a slave in Saudi Arabia.
Director Ashirwad traveled with ‘Aadujeevitham’ for more than a decade. The real -life story was famous, thanks to the award -winning novel, who also earned the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for the novel in 2009.
Despite being eligible, ‘Aadujeevitham’ failed to receive the same award. Following the announcement of the awards, many internet users expressed their displeasure over the jury’s decision, while some questioned the intention of ignoring the film which was fantastic on many fronts.
Here are some reactions:
Why Aadujeevitham deserved National Awards
On March 28, 2024, ‘Aadujeevitham’ Aka ‘The goat life’ was released in theaters. The film made it as one of the best films of the year in the list of many publications. While some had issues with the film’s pacing, the film was technically sound. AR Rahman’s music, cinematography by KS Sunil or editing or sound design by Srikar Prasad, ‘Adujivitha’ was a visual spectacle that was fully entitled to a large screen watch.
The film, which received a positive review, also ended as a profitable venture. Keeping in mind the technical fronts, ‘Aadujeevitham’ was given life by Prithviraj Sukumaran by a brilliant depiction of Najeeb. From undergoing harsh physical changes to undergoing loneliness and craving through his eyes, Sukumaran gave a lifetime performance, but only to ignore it. The Best Actor Award was shared by Shah Rukh Khan (for ‘Jawan’) and Vikrant Massey (for ’12th Failure’). The best direction went to the director Sudeepto Sen for ‘Kerala Story’.
If not for the story, ‘Aadujeevitham’ set international standards on all technical fronts. AR Rahman won the best background score (foreign language) at the Hollywood Music in Media Award for the film in 2024.
In addition, ‘Aadujeevitham’ caught nine awards, including the best actor of the Kerala State Film Awards and the best actor.
Kerala Story on Aadujeevitham – This decision that attracts Flack
Soon after, ‘The Kerala Story’ won two honors and ended with zero prizes ‘Aadujeevitham’, inviting a lot of backlash against the jury members, which had only one Malayali for representation.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan called the jury without naming the film. He called it a film, “clearly spreads misinformation” with a clear intention of tarnishing the image of Kerala and sowing seeds of communal hatred. ,
Here’s the post:
As Onmonorama Report, Pradeep Nair, the only Malayali representative of the National Film Awards Jury, ‘Kerala Story’ is being selected for the best direction. He said, “As a Malayali on the panel, I raised serious objections. I questioned how a film that discredits a kingdom like Kerala and acts as a promotion, can be considered as a national honor. I expressed my concerns directly to the jury chairperson,” he said.
But Pradeep also said that other members of the jury “argued that even though the film was controversial, it dealt with a relevant social issue.”
Regarding ‘Aadujeevitham’, Pradeep Nair said that the chairman and filmmaker of the jury Ashutosh Goverkar was also concerned about the blessing-director and the story of the performance.
He said, “Jury chairperson Ashutosh Govarkar saw the film at a previous film festival in Goa and had serious concerns about the adaptation and execution of the film. Govarkar and others also felt that adaptation also felt that there was a lack of naturalness in adaptation and the performance did not feel authentic,” he said.
Nair further revealed that ‘Aadujeevitham’ was also considered for the best singer and best songs. However, he cited the ‘technical omission’ due to the film not winning any category. He mentioned that producers failed to present the English translation of songs. According to him, actor KR Gokul, who played the role of Hakim in the film, was also considered. However, he was not either honored.
Kerala’s story and controversies canceled it
The ‘The Kerala Story’ directed by Sudeepto Sen was released in 2023. The producers claimed that the film is inspired by true events. The film Kerala revolves around a group of women, which is forced to embrace Islam and eventually join ISIS. The initial promo claimed that thousands of Hindu women had been converted into Islam, sexually abused, and was taken to various places outside India to join ISIS.
Following a court case, the manufacturers admitted to add two disconnections, stating that the figures mentioned in the film were “inhuman and the film was a fictional depiction of events.”
The Government of Kerala and people objected to the content of the film. While many filed petitions to ban the film, it was rejected by the top courts. However, the court called the factual impurities and directed the manufacturers to remove all the promotional materials including the film’s teaser.
During the ‘Kerala Story’ weakened in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, it still managed to rake into numbers at the box office. According to reports, the film grossed over Rs 300 crore worldwide at the box office.
The National Film Awards have been highlighted an important disconnect amid significant praise and institutional recognition in controversies.