Adah Sharma reacts to The Kerala Story winning two National Awards: 'We have the blessings of the victims'

When The Kerala Story was released in 2023, it welcomed a series of controversies. However, the film received widespread attention, finally winning two National Awards at the 71st National Award on August 1, 2025. The film won two National Awards - best director for Sudipto Sen and best cinematography for Prasantanu Mohapatra. In a new interview, Adah Sharma, who was featured in the film, reacted to the film's milestone. 

Adah Sharma on The Kerala Story winning National Awards

In The Kerala Story, Adah Sharma played the role of Fatima Ba and received a lot of praise. Now that her film has won two National Awards, she has reacted to it. The actress told NDTV that the scenes from the movie impacted people so much, and even now, it continues to make an impact. 

She shared, "We have the blessings of the victims, their families and the audience and now two national awards. I feel blessed. Scenes from the movie impacted people so much that even now, when I meet people at events, airports, they have tears in their eyes when discussing the scenes. As an actor, I got to be part of this historic film and play the role of a lifetime."

Adah also said that Sudipto Sen, Vipul Shah and Prasantanu Mohapatra didn't think of awards or applause while making the film and it was just to tell the stories of those who didn't have a voice. "The audience then became our voice and turned this film into the highest-grossing female film of all time," she added. 

Also Read: Ashutosh Gowariker reacts to The Kerala Story winning National Awards despite controversy: 'It didn't try to overpower the narrative'

About The Kerala Story

The Kerala Story welcomed a significant controversy as it claimed that 32,000 women from Kerala were recruited by the Islamic State (IS), a claim that was widely disputed and ultimately denied in the film itself. 

The Kerala Story stars Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Sonia Balani, and Siddhi Idnani. This story is about a group of women from Kerala who were forcibly converted to Islam and joined the Islamic State. Meanwhile, you can watch The Kerala Story on ZEE5 via OTTplay Premium.

FAQs

Q: Is The Kerala Story available on OTT?

A: The Kerala Story is streaming on ZEE5 via OTTplay Premium.

Q: Is The Kerala Story based on a real story?

A: The Kerala Story is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language drama film, claiming to be inspired by true events, directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah. It stars Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Sonia Balani, and Siddhi Idnani.

Q: Will there be Kerala Story 2?

A: Director Sudipto Sen has refuted media reports that his 2023 film, The Kerala Story, will have a sequel based on the Hema Committee report that details the exploitation and harassment of women in the Malayalam film industry. However, Sen confirmed that a sequel is definitely on the cards, as per reports.