Veteran filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnanfilmmaker’s remarks over extending financial support to scheduled caste and women filmmakers kicked up a storm on Monday with ministers, Dalit activists and filmmakers criticizing him for his stand.
Filmmaker Dr Biju, strongly opposed Gopalakrishnan’s comments in a post on Facebook, and said, “If many people who have acquired only their creativity without any training can do cinema, similarly, people and women belonging to the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe category can do film.”
Dalit activist Dinu Veyil filed a complaint under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act with the Museum Police in Thiruvananthapuram and the Kerala State SC/ST Commission against Adoor. Dinu, in his complaint, said the filmmaker made statements that incite hatred, resentment, and prejudice against the SC/ST community.
Launching a scathing attack on Gopalakrishan, Kerala Higher Education Minister R Bindu said, “There is no point in roaming around the world cinema halls, one must develop one’s heart. One must become a human being.”
State cultural affairs minister Saji Cherian defended the policy, citing a lack of opportunities for these communities in the past. “In the 98 years of Malayalam cinema’s history, those from the SC/ST communities have not had 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,” Cherian said, adding that each recipient goes through an intensive screening process.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the Kerala Film Policy Conclave in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, Adoor Gopalakrishnan criticised the Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC) for providing what he termed excessive funding to directors from the SC community.
He suggested that filmmakers from the SC community should receive training, and that the Kerala State Film Development Corporation should not simply hand out money. Further, Adoor said Rs 1.5 crore for one filmmaker was excessive and that opportunities should not be given solely based on gender.
“Those from SC backgrounds should be given at least three months of training under experienced filmmakers before being supported. The `1.5-crore grant should be split among three people, rather than funding one project. The government money shouldn’t be used just because the film has a superstar or simply because the director is a woman,” Adoor said.
He further said that many of the films funded under the initiative lacked quality and artistic value.
“They need to be taught how a film is made… These are public funds. The amount should be reduced to Rs 50 lakh. The government is not giving money to make commercial films,” Gopalakrishnan said.
“Same goes with women. Don’t give money to make a film just because she is a woman,” he further said.
Although Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s remarks quickly invited protest from some audience members, such as Dalit singer and the vice chairperson of Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, Pushpavathi PR, the filmmaker continued his address . He went on to make some more controversial remarks about the protests that happened at the KR Narayanan Institute in 2023, alleging caste discrimination and torpedoing of reservation norms in the admission process.
The agitations led to the institute director, Shankar Mohan, and the chairperson, Adoor Gopalakrisnan, stepping down from their respective posts. Adoor recently claimed that the entire episode hampered the institute’s development forever.
Meanwhile, Adoor Gopalakrishnan on Monday justified his remarks on the Kerala government’s project to promote filmmakers from marginalised sections and said his statements were intended to empower them and improve their technical knowledge.
Adoor said he wanted women filmmakers and those belonging to the SC/ST sections to continue in the film industry, and that’s why he wanted them to undergo expert training in movie making and on how to utilise government funding.