The Kerala Story Maker Sudipto Sen Takes A Dig At Filmfare For Best Film Award To 'Blatantly Plagiarised' Movie

Filmmaker Sudipto Sen, who recently won the National Award for Best Director for The Kerala Story, has taken a strong stand against the recently held Filmfare Awards 2025. Expressing disappointment over the results, he criticised the jury's choices and called the event a "tamasha" in the name of cinema.

What's Happening

• The 2025 Filmfare Awards, held last weekend in Ahmedabad, celebrated the best in Hindi cinema from 2024. Laapataa Ladies emerged as the biggest winner of the night, securing 13 awards, including Best Film. Abhishek Bachchan and Kartik Aaryan shared the Best Actor in a Leading Role (Male) trophy, while Alia Bhatt took home the Best Actress award.
• Following the event, director Sudipto Sen took to Instagram to share a detailed note criticising the award ceremony. He wrote, "This year Filmfare truly is an expose of Indian 'nouvelle vague'... A blatantly plagiarised film... a film which is a tutorial of brutality and a film which did not survive the box office for more than 72 hours took away most of the crowns. As expected the best work of 2024 remains elusive. Realised why Filmfare was so vocal against The Kerala Story receiving National Awards. I am happy that this 'wood' community does not recognise, invite or choose us."
• He continued, "We are spared from faking smiles, faking camaraderie, and most importantly, not indulging in any sycophancy. In the end, I am happy that we are saved from hobnobbing with this tamasha in the name of cinema in Mumbai and clicking selfies in Cannes. At least we are saved from these ugly hypocrisies and fake tapestry in the name of cinema."
• In his caption, Sen further wrote, "I never expect anything great from any Indian cinema establishment, particularly when it is media or cinema journalism. They are mostly enamoured by the glamour and rich world of the stars, exactly the way people from villages and small cities gather in front of Mr. Bachchan or SRK's house. They actually have ZERO contribution towards Indian cinema, cinema art - contrary to the way world media does for world cinemas."
• Although Sen did not explicitly name the films, his remarks appeared to reference Laapataa Ladies as the "blatantly plagiarised" one, as it swept 13 awards, including Best Film.

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Background

Sudipto Sen's The Kerala Storymade waves upon its release for its controversial portrayal of radicalisation and conversion. Despite criticism from several quarters, the film was a commercial success and went on to win two National Awards last month, Best Director and Best Cinematography.

While Laapataa Ladies, directed by Kiran Rao, was widely praised for its storytelling and social commentary, Sen's comments have sparked a renewed debate about the credibility and inclusivity of major film awards in India.

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