Adoor Gopalakrishnan courts controversy at Kerala Film Policy Conclave, Minister counters him

The closing ceremony of the Kerala Film Policy Conclave in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday witnessed some dramatic moments when veteran filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan made some controversial statements on the State government’s project to promote filmmakers from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities and the one for women filmmakers, with Minister for Cultural Affairs Saji Cherian countering his assertions in his speech.

“The government is providing ₹1.5 crore for filmmakers from the SC/ST communities to make films. I told the Chief Minister that the government is paving the way for corruption through this, but nothing has changed. The intent behind the project is good, but they should be given at least three months of intensive training to make films. All the filmmakers who have made films under this project have complaints about it. They should be made aware that these are public funds. The amount should be reduced to ₹50 lakh. This money is not meant to make commercial films,” said Mr. Gopalakrishnan.

Regarding a similar project for women filmmakers, he said that “just because one is a woman, the government should not be giving money to make films.” They should also be provided training. They should know all the difficulties involved in making a film, he said.

Mr. Cherian in his speech disagreed with Mr. Gopalakrishnan and said that even ₹1.5 crore was insufficient to make quality films these days, as most of the filmmakers under the project struggled due to funding issues.

‘A rare opportunity’

“In the 98 years of Malayalam cinema’s history, those from the SC/ST communities have not got a mainstream opportunity. This funding project is one of the best decisions this government has taken, because of which many new filmmakers from these communities were able to come forward. They were selected by a committee of experts through an intensive screening process,” he said.

Mr. Gopalakrishnan’s comments invited loud disapproval from a section of the audience, especially singer Pushpavathy. Later, speaking to the media, she said that Mr. Gopalakrishnan was attempting to torpedo a project to promote filmmakers from marginalised communities. “People from the SC/ST communities have experienced oppression for centuries. Our forefathers have experienced slave-like conditions. It has just been decades since we started getting proper education. Any attempt to torpedo such projects has to be opposed. The government has clearly rejected his remarks,” she said.

On IFFK

Mr. Gopalakrishnan demanded that the delegate fee for the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) be raised to ensure that only those who were really interested in cinema got in. Recounting an event from the past, he said that “a group of labourers from the Chala market barged into the theatre just to watch the adult content.”

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He also criticised the 2023 protest movement by the students of the K.R. Narayanan National Institute of Visual Science and Arts demanding the resignation of the institute’s director Shankar Mohan for alleged caste discrimination, which also led to Mr. Gopalakrishnan’s resignation as the institute’s chairperson. He claimed that the institute was primed for take-off during his tenure, but no one knows the state of the institute now. Countering him, Mr. Cherian said that the institution was functioning effectively.

The Minister also countered poet and filmmaker Sreekumaran Thampy’s claim that nothing happened after the K. Hema Committee report was published. “It is because the Hema committee report that this conclave is happening,” he said.