India, Aug. 4 -- Sudipto Sen's excitement on winning the National Film Award for Best Director for his film The Kerala Story (2023) was dampened when the Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan criticised the film for the win. The CM wrote on X, "By honouring a film that spreads blatant misinformation with the clear intent of tarnishing Kerala's image and sowing seeds of communal hatred, the jury of the #NationalFilmAwards has lent legitimacy to a narrative rooted in the divisive ideology of the Sangh Parivar (sic)." Reacting to this, Sudipto says, "I had a lot of respect for him, but he shouldn't have said something like this. Had he watched the film, he would understand that it has nothing to do with Kerala. It is about the ISIS model being executed from the state, which is a known fact. In fact, BBC made a film on that." Sudipto adds, "People know how ISIS operates in the US and Australia. Pinarayi sir is a respected politician. He should not have made such a loose comment. It's unfortunate." The 2023 film revolves around a group of girls who are coerced into converting to Islam and joining the Islamic state. Sharing how winning the National Film Award is a dream come true for him, the director adds: "When you start your career as a filmmaker, you dream of certain things, and a National Film Award is one of them. But I never saw it coming for this one."...