Thiruvananthapuram: Minister for cultural affairs Saji Cheriyan has reacted to the controversy over allegedly excluding Indrans starring ‘Home’ from the state film awards. Actor Indrans who played the lead role in the movie had alleged that the state film awards jury did n’t consider ‘Home’ for the awards as police booked producer Vijay Babu in a sexual assault case. Now, the minister has come forward rubbishing the allegations.

He pointed out that Indrans is raising allegations due to misunderstanding.

“ The jury had watched all movies. ‘Home’ was among the selected 29 films watched by the jury in the last lap,” claimed the minister.

“There is no connection between the case against Vijay Babu and the awards. The jury was formed after police received a complaint against Vijay. The preliminary jury had selected ‘Home’ and added it to the final list. It was placed in the final list as one of the best movies in Malayalam,” clarified the minister.

Meanwhile, selecting Joju George as the best actor also triggered a controversy. The actor had faced the wrath of Congress after voicing against a protest in Kochi. Hence, some people criticised the government for linking this incident with the award. Reacting to this criticism, the minister sarcastically noted that a special jury will be appointed if Congress performs well.

Meanwhile, Kerala Chalachitra Academy vice chairman Prem Kumar also asserted that ‘Home’ was included in the final list of best movies.