Kerala Catholic Bishops Council(KCBC) Jagratha commission lampooned the decision to hand over the best film state award to Mammootty's 'Kathal The Core'. In a Facebook post, KCBC questioned the motive to hand over the award and asked if this award would help make the movie's theme acceptable to the public.
‘Kaathal’ was controversial for its highly stigmatised theme of homosexuality. The film advocated the rights of homosexuals and demanded that society accept them as normal. The Facebook post also criticised the film for its overt display of sex and physical intimacies.
“According to the notion, the best creative work and the one popular among the public would always get crowned as the best film. Blessy’s ‘Aadujeevitham’ roped in eight awards. However, there is contention on how ‘Kaathal’ won the best film award. There is no question about the influence of the jury committee. There were many films aptly fit for the title of best film, but the government made the most of the opportunity to promote a film that circled homosexuality. It is still unknown what the government targets in promoting such films on the public stage.” Opined KCBC.