Adah Sharma on controversy regarding national award to The Kerala Story

The Kerala Story won the National Award and following this there was a huge backlash over the jury for selecting the film which many felt was dividing the society.

In the midst of all this, Adah Sharma who played the lead role in the film shared her thoughts on the entire controversy. She said “Everyone is allowed to have their opinion. I think it would have been shameful not to make this film. I have met 25 girls who went through the horrors. The film is a diluted version of what they went through.”

"I was very nervous for them to watch the film," she shared, “but thankfully, they loved it. After meeting those girls, I felt it was my responsibility to tell their story.”

Adah on the backlash the film is facing, said  “If telling the truth is being shameful, then I don’t mind being shameless. I have no shame in saying I am anti-terrorism. People who are calling it shameful—I think it has hit a nerve, and I don’t think nerves are hit by lies.”

She also added  “There is no mention of any political leader or party. For me, it has been a story of girls who are trafficked, brainwashed, and taken to become terrorists. I stand with these girls. If that is political, then so be it.” Her statement comes amid debates over the film's themes and its place in India’s socio-political discourse. Despite divided public opinion, Adah remains unwavered: “I can’t see it in any other way. I have to stand with the truth.”