Prithviraj Sukumaran’s Aadujeevitham (Goat life) was expected to sweep off the awards in the 71st National Film Awards in multiple categories. But however, the film gained not even a special jury mention for even it’s technical sides.

Why Goat Life was not considered?

Jury Chairperson Ashutosh Gowariker had seen the movie at a previous film festival in Goa and had serious concerns about the film’s
adaptation and execution. Gowariker and others also felt the adaptation lacked naturality and the performances didn’t feel authentic,” Nair said.

The jury chairman Ashutosh Gowariker recalled the films Iratta, Kaathal, 2018 and Thadav as per the special request of Malayalam director Pradeep Nair, who is a member of the central jury. The Malayalam jury member submitted his arguments in writing to the chairman for awarding the award to Kerala Story. In the letter, he said that it is a propaganda film against a democratic state like Kerala.

Pradeep Nair said that although the opinion was accepted by the jury, most of the members took a positive stand for Kerala Story. It is indicated that the jury members did not like Aadujeevitham either. The Malayalam member had argued for Ranjith Ambadi for the make-up in it and Rafeeq Ahmed for the lyrics.

However, when it came to comparison with Srikanth Desai’s make-up in the film Sam Bahadur, Ranjith’s chances faded. The lack of an accurate English translation of the song also upset Rafeeq Ahmed. It is believed that the jury failed to understand the concept of the dialogue-heavy film Kaathal. Sushin Shyam was also in consideration for the background score for Ullozhukku. Manoj Bajpayee and Dhanush were in the running for the best actor award for Vaathi. Saniya Malhotra from the film Kaadal-A Jackfruit Mystery was also in the running for the best actress award.

Also Read: Adaah Sharma Forgets to Win a National Award For ‘The Kerala Story’?

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