Adoor Gopalakrishnan Sparks Row At Kerala Film Conclave Over Remarks On Women, SC Filmmakers
During his speech, Adoor expressed concern that the Rs 1.5 crore allocated for SC and ST filmmakers could be misused. 'I had earlier pointed out to the Chief Minister that this amount could lead to corruption. But no corrective action has been taken,' he said. He suggested that instead of awarding Rs 1.5 crore to a single filmmaker, it would be more effective to support three filmmakers with Rs 50 lakh each.
He further said that structured training was essential before providing such financial aid. 'Those selected from the SC community should undergo at least three months of intensive training by experts to learn budgeting and basic film production skills,' he said.
In a remark that drew strong reactions, Adoor said, 'Don't give funds just because someone is a woman,' though he added that several talented women filmmakers are now emerging.
He criticised the current approach of allocating funds, arguing that public money collected through taxes should not be distributed arbitrarily.
'Many people believe that just by applying, they are entitled to receive money to make a film. That's a wrong notion,' he said.
Several filmmakers, including Dr Biju, objected to his remarks during the session and attempted to respond, but Adoor continued his address uninterrupted. He also took a swipe at the recent protests at the K.R. Narayanan National Institute of Visual Science and Arts, claiming that the agitation was aimed at undermining attempts to restore discipline at the institute.
According to him, the protests ultimately contributed to the institution's decline. Adoor concluded by reiterating that government funding should not be directed towards commercial ventures but should promote quality cinema.
His remarks have sparked backlash from sections of the film industry and civil society, with many criticising the tone and timing of his statements at a conclave aimed at shaping inclusive film policy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
26 minutes ago
- Indian Express
During ‘missing' woman's probe, cops deny harassment allegations, ‘casteist remarks' towards 3 women
Pune City police landed in controversy following action taken by them while providing assistance to their counterparts from Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar in tracing a 'missing' woman. Three women in Pune — in whose company the 'missing' woman had been for a day — alleged that police tortured them and passed casteist remarks against them. However, the police have refuted the allegations. A missing report was filed at a police station in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar by the family of a 23-year-old woman who had left home a few days ago, but didn't return. A probe by Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar police had revealed the missing woman was in Kothrud area of Pune city. So a police team reached Pune and sought Kothrud police station's help in tracing her. On August 1, a damini squad (comprising only policewomen) from Kothrud police station questioned three women residing at a hostel in Kothrud, as the missing lady had stayed with them for sometime. The three women were also brought to Kothrud police station for inquiry. Later, the women alleged that they were beaten up at the police station. They also alleged that the police officials made casteist remarks against them. The issue was raised on social media by activists and politicians. The women demanded action against police officials under the SC & ST Prevention of Atrocities Act. NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar held a meeting with Joint Commissioner of Police Ranjan Kumar Sharma and other senior police officials demanding action against the cops who allegedly harassed the women. Dalit leaders Prakash Ambedkar, Sujat Ambedkar and others from Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi also levelled allegations against the police for making casteist comments against the women. The women staged protests even in the night at Pune City police Commissionerate. One of the women submitted a complaint application regarding harassment to police on August 2. Senior police inspector Sandip Deshmane of Kothrud police station gave her a reply in writing on August 3 that a prima-facie inquiry into her complaint found no substance and so no offence can be registered against the cops in this case. Deshmane stated that the alleged incident did not take place in 'public view' and the complainant was not able to give concrete material supporting the allegations. The woman then filed another complaint application at Pune Police Commissionerate around 2 am on August 4. Deshmane also replied to this application that no substance was found in the allegations. Meanwhile, the woman who reportedly went missing from Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar was traced to Pune. She gave a statement that she left her home due to harassment from her husband and in-laws, police said. Political leaders and activists have demanded an investigation against her father-in-law, who they claimed is a retired police officer and allegedly exerted pressure on the police department for taking wrongful action in this case.
Indian Express
26 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Karnataka HC directs bus unions to defer proposed indefinite strike from tomorrow for negotiations
The Karnataka High Court on Monday directed unions of the state road transport corporations to put on hold a proposed indefinite strike from August 5 during the pendency of negotiations for the payment of 38 months' arrears in wage hikes. 'If the entire public transport operation is stalled, the public are likely to be put to hardship. Therefore, it would be appropriate to grant interim stay till tomorrow awaiting the outcome of negotiations with the Government referred to above. Hence respondent No.7 is hereby directed to put on hold their proposed strike till next hearing date,' a division bench said in an interim order while posting the matter for hearing on Tuesday. The court was informed that the unions issued a notice for an indefinite strike on July 15 and that 'conciliation meetings were held on 28.07.2025 and 02.08.2025 and that process is still on'. 'It is also submitted that today the meeting of respondent No.7 (Joint Action Committee) and the Chief Minister are also going on,' the court noted. The court issued the order after a Bengaluru resident, Sunil J, filed a petition opposing the strike on the grounds of widespread inconvenience to the public. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, meanwhile, held a meeting with the Joint Action Committee of the unions on Monday and assured them that no injustice would be done. 'A few rounds of meetings have already been held with representatives of various organizations of the transport corporation. It is possible to resolve the issues through mutual talks. The Chief Minister appealed to withdraw the movement called for tomorrow,' read a statement issued by the chief minister's office after the meeting. 'In 2016, when I was the Chief Minister, I revised the salary. At that time, 12.5 percent was increased. Then in 2020, due to Covid, the then (BJP) government did not revise the salary. There was a salary revision agreement when the previous government was in power on 01-03-23. At that time, it was decided to revise the basic salary by 15 percent,' Siddaramaiah said in the statement. 'The committee formed under the chairmanship of Srinivas Murthy (retired IAS officer) regarding salary revision had recommended that the arrears of salary be paid from 01-1-22 to 28-2-23. Transport representatives also appeared before the committee and submitted their report. The government has accepted the recommendation of the Srinivasa Committee. You should also accept the recommendations of the said committee,' he added. Based on the committee's recommendations, the BJP Government issued a notification in March 2023, the chief minister said, while adding that the demand for arrears for 38 months was 'not reasonable'. 'When we came to power (May 2023), all the corporations had a total debt of Rs 4,000 crore. In 2018, only Rs 14 crore was outstanding. Currently, no transport corporation is in profit. The government will not do injustice to anyone. All corporations should cooperate. The government is ready to resolve all grievances through talks,' he said.
NDTV
26 minutes ago
- NDTV
Karnataka Transport Staff To Go On Strike From August 5
Bengaluru: The employees' union of the state-owned transport corporations have decided to go an indefinite strike from August 5 as talks with the Karnataka government failed on Monday. The Karnataka High Court and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah appealed to the unions to withdraw their protest. The employees' unions were adamant that their 38 months arrears are paid and a salary hike from January 1, 2024 should be implemented. A final round meeting took place between CM Siddaramaiah, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy and the representatives of the employees' union on Monday, but nothing conclusive came out. "Our discussions happened on arrears of 38 months of salary and salary hike from January 1, 2024. Finally, the chief minister said that he would clear two years of arrears and asked us to give up the claim on the remaining two years' arrears. We have not agreed for it. We need 38 months' arrears," KSRTC Staff and Workers' Federation president H V Anantha Subbarao told reporters. There was no commitment on salary hike from January 1, 2024. "We are not happy. So our strike will start from tomorrow morning," Subbarao said. The union leader said the KSRTC and BMTC staff will not work until the demands are met. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah appealed to the unions to withdraw their protest. Several rounds of meetings have already been held with representatives of different transport unions. Issues can be resolved through mutual dialogue. The CM appealed to the unions to withdraw the protest scheduled for tomorrow, a statement issued by Siddaramaiah's office said. Siddaramaiah said in 2016 when he was in office, a salary revision was implemented with a 12.5 per cent hike. He blamed the previous BJP government which did not revise the salaries in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. "When we assumed power (in 2013), the total debt across all transport corporations was Rs 4,000 crore. In 2018 (when we left office), the pending amount was only Rs 14 crore. Currently, none of the transport corporations are in profit. The government will not be unjust to anyone. All corporations must cooperate," the CM said. Meanwhile, the Karnataka High Court on Monday asked State-run transport unions to postpone their planned strike by a day to allow time for ongoing discussions between union representatives and CM Siddaramaiah to conclude. During the hearing, the Division Bench questioned the government on the prolonged delay in wage revision for drivers and conductors, expressing concern over their interests being neglected. Government counsel and representatives of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) informed the court that a Joint Action Committee (JAC) - representing employees from all four State-run transport corporations - had announced the strike even as conciliation proceedings over the dispute were still in progress under existing legal frameworks.
