When The Kerala Story, a film that exposed the dark reality of religious conversions and ISIS recruitment in Kerala, won the National Award for Best Film, the Bollywood elite couldn’t handle it. Leading the charge was Filmfare editor Jitesh Pillai, who took to Instagram to throw a tantrum, calling the film “dangerously divisive,” “shoddily scripted,” and “one of the worst movies ever made.”
On his Instagram handle, Pillai wrote, “By awarding a dangerously divisive film, Kerala Story for best direction, the National awards jury sends seriously wrong signals. Forget for a moment the vicious propoganda of the film, its insidiously fake narrative, let’s look at it qualitatively. It has to be one of the worst movies ever made- it’s shoddily scripted, very poorly acted, horribly photographed and amateurishly directed. Is this the film chairman of the jury, ashutosh Gowariker with his claims of being an aesthete with a great understanding of cinema of sense and sensibility has awarded for best cinematography? And to add serious insult to injury, it’s been given best direction? I don’t know what the criterion of selection in and what year was considered? But in a year of many cinematic gems like Kathal, Balagam, Chitha, 12th fail, Aatam, All we imagine as light, Viduthalai, and so many many others, you found this arrant piece of filmmaking- Kerala Story for best direction. Slow claps. Lovers of good cinema can hang our heads in shame. This has verily been the worst blow ever and a travesty in judging cinematic excellence. To know how bad it is do watch this abomination on Z5. You’ll get a fair idea. What a con job.
P.S. Had to add RD Burman’s sholay background score to take off the bitter taste of a shit show”
The National Awards, judged by a government-appointed jury, didn’t play by the usual Bollywood pageant rules, and Pillai simply couldn’t digest it.
But here’s the irony: Filmfare Awards, the very institution Pillai represents, has long been accused of being a paid, rigged circus where trophies are handed out based on lobbying, star power, and cold hard cash, not merit.
Filmfare itself has a history of ignoring genuine talent while rewarding mediocrity, especially when it comes to films that challenge the Left-liberal narrative.
Ignored The Kashmir Files (2022): Despite being a cultural phenomenon, Filmfare snubbed it.
Snubbed Kerala Story (2023): The highest-grossing female-centric film of the year was conveniently left out of Filmfare’s nominations.
But rewarded Gangubai Kathiawadi (2023): A film that whitewashed a brothel madam as a feminist icon.
Why? Because Filmfare, like most Bollywood award shows, is not about merit – it’s about politics, lobbying, and money.
A History Of Paid Awards: Stars Speak, Filmfare Cringes
Let’s examine who’s talking. Jitesh Pillai, presiding over a platform that has been accused of selling awards, now lectures the public about “cinematic excellence.” But it’s not the public alleging corruption, it’s Bollywood insiders themselves.
Rishi Kapoor: “I Paid For My Award”
In his autobiography Khullam Khulla, Rishi Kapoor confessed to buying an award in 1973 for his debut film Bobby. While he didn’t name Filmfare explicitly, the timing and context left little to the imagination. “Someone told me, ‘You know, we can get this award, do you want it?’ I said yes… It will cost you Rs 30,000,” he wrote. “I regret it. I was a brat. I was 20 years old. It was wrong.”
And while he tried to suggest that maybe it didn’t reach the “original guys,” he admitted to getting the award.
Harshvardhan Kapoor Alleged Awards Are For Sale
Anil Kapoor’s son Harshvardhan was livid when he didn’t win the Filmfare Award for Best Debut, despite picking up two other awards that year. The trophy instead went to Diljit Dosanjh for Udta Punjab and Harshvardhan couldn’t stop venting about the perceived unfairness.
This added to the long-standing suspicion that Filmfare favors clout and camps over craft.
Aamir Khan & Imran Khan: “Commercial Awards Are A Joke”
Aamir Khan hasn’t attended a single commercial award show since the 1990s. Why? “Commercial film awards are of no value to me,” Aamir told Indian Express. His nephew Imran Khan echoed the same on a podcast: “They don’t directly tell you… they ask if you’re free on that day, and if you say yes, the award magically appears.”
Abhay Deol On Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara: “Shameless Demotion”
Despite Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara being a story about three friends, only Hrithik Roshan was nominated in the lead category. Abhay Deol and Farhan Akhtar were dumped into ‘Supporting Actor’ nominations – a blatant star power maneuver. “This was just shameless. So blatant. I boycotted the awards,” Abhay said.
“Just give the award to the biggest star, but don’t demote others.”
Amaal Mallik: “Sab Tera Got Nominated, Not Neerja?”
Singer and composer Amaal Mallik exposed the absurdity of music nominations in a scathing Facebook post. “You nominate Baaghi, an average album, but ignore Neerja, MS Dhoni, Airlift, Jugni?!”
“Why is Randeep Hooda in Sarbjit not nominated, but Aishwarya Rai is?”
Mallik’s outrage pointed to the fundamental rot: massive performances and content were being sidelined in favor of star names and soft PR.
What Jitesh Pillai Can’t Digest
The Kerala Story winning a National Award wasn’t about political propaganda, it was about a story, however controversial, being told through the lens of a director who dared to go against the grain. Whether you agree with the film or not, its success, commercially and culturally, was undeniable.
Pillai’s attack reeks of the elitist disdain of Lutyens gatekeepers who see the rise of non-conforming narratives as a threat to their carefully curated ideological bubble. But the public sees through it.
Jitesh Pillai and Filmfare have long presented themselves as arbiters of cinematic taste. But the reality is simpler: Filmfare is a glorified TV event built for TRPs, not artistic merit.
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