Hyderabad, Aug. 4 -- The student group of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) has strongly condemned the Union government's decision to name the controversial movie The Kerala Story for best direction and cinematographyfor the 71st National Film Awards.

The 71st National Film Awards were announced on August 1 by the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Shah Rukh Khan and Vikrant Massey were jointly awarded Best Actor for Jawan and 12th Fail, while Rani Mukerji won Best Actress for Mrs Chatterjee v/s Norway.

12th Fail won Best Film.

The big surprise came when the best direction and cinematographywere awarded to Sudipto Sen and Prasantanu Mohapatra for The Kerala Story, which claims that women in the state are "l...