Minister V Sivankutty has responded to the exclusion of the film Aadujeevitham (The Goat Life) from the 71st National Film Awards. He questioned how the film could have been completely overlooked.

As discussions heat up over Aadujeevitham not being considered for a single category at the National Awards, the Minister weighed in on the matter.

“I like Shah Rukh Khan... but in my opinion, Prithviraj’s performance in Aadujeevitham was the best. How could the entire film be disregarded?” Sivankutty asked.

Actor Vikrant Massey and Shah Rukh Khan shared the Best Actor Award for their performances in 12th Fail and Jawan, respectively. Following the announcement, there has been backlash against the decision to award Shah Rukh Khan, with many pointing out that Prithviraj’s performance in Aadujeevitham was entirely ignored by the jury.

There has also been strong criticism over Sudipto Sen being chosen as Best Director for The Kerala Story.

Recently, director Blessy also criticised National Film Awards jury chairman Ashutosh Gowariker. He said it was baffling that Ashutosh, who had once praised Aadujeevitham, changed his stance after becoming the chairman of the jury.