Veteran filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan has found himself embroiled in controversy after allegedly criticising the state government’s project offering financial support to prospective filmmakers from marginalised sections. His remarks purportedly disparaging the students’ protest against casteism at the KR Narayanan National Institute of Visual Science and Arts, which led to Adoor’s resignation from the position of its chairman, have also kicked up a row.
“I have not yet made a film [that cost] beyond Rs 2 crore, yet the government is giving Rs 1.5 crore to SC/ST filmmakers. This would pave the way for corruption, I had warned them, but there is still no change. The intention may be good, but the filmmakers need months of intense training before they make films,” said Adoor at the concluding ceremony of the film policy conclave in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday.
He also called upon the authorities to reduce the amount to Rs 50 lakh instead of the current Rs 1.5 crore. “All of the filmmakers selected through the project have complaints. They think they can just take the funds and go to make their films. They should be told that these are public funds. The amount given should be reduced so that they know all the difficulties of making a film. These funds are not for making commercial films or superstar films; it is for making good cinema. The same goes for women. You don’t just give funds because they are women; they should also be trained,” he added.
Although Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s remarks quickly invited protest from some audience members, such as Dalit singer Pushpavathy, the filmmaker continued with his address and went on to make some more controversial remarks, this time about the protests that happened at the KR Narayanan Institute in 2023, alleging caste discrimination and torpedoing of reservation norms in the admission process. While the agitations led to the institute director, Shankar Mohan, and the chairperson, Adoor, stepping down from their respective posts, the filmmaker recently claimed that the entire episode hampered the institute’s development forever.
Dubbing it as an “ugly strike” that erupted while the institute was poised to become one of the best in the country, Adoor said, “Almost all heads of departments resigned and left. No one knows how it is functioning today.” He also claimed that Shankar Mohan’s only fault was “trying to instill discipline”, in/directly dismissing the allegations of caste discrimination against him.
Nonetheless, the National Award-winning director’s comments didn’t go unanswered as Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cherian categorically threw his weight behind the government project funding projects envisioned by filmmakers from marginalised sections. “For 98 years (since the first Malayalam film was made), filmmakers from the SC/ST community had not got an opportunity to rise to the mainstream. And how many women have made films in Malayalam cinema? This is one of the best projects that the government has undertaken. The filmmakers were chosen after a committee of experts closely examined their work and found it meritorious. All the films that came out of this project have been exceptional. We also want to recognise and give space to the work of gender and other minorities, as well as people with disabilities,” he asserted.
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Singer Pushpavathy, Dalit writer and activist Sunny M Kapikad and many others have already stepped forward condemning Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s statements that they deemed problematic. Maintaining that the filmmaker’s views reflected the “consciousness of the privileged class”, Kapikad told news agency PTI, “It’s a sense of caste hierarchy that makes him say these things.” According to The Hindu, Dalit activist Dinu Veyil has filed a complaint against Adoor under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
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Renowned for crafting acclaimed films like Swayamvaram (1972), Kodiyettam (1977), Elippathayam (1981), Anantaram (1987), Mathilukal (1990), Vidheyan (1993) and Nizhalkuthu (2002), Adoor Gopalakrishnan is the second-most frequent recipient of the National Film Award for Best Direction, having won the honour five times.
