Renowned filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan on Tuesday wrote a letter to the union information and broadcasting ministry, seeking a fair jury trial in selecting National Awards. “The quality films are being ignored for commercial awards,” he wrote in a letter. He also sought the name of jury members who selected the films for the prestigious award.
In the letter, he reportedly wrote that the jury comprised members who knew little or nothing about meaningful cinema either as professional practitioners or scholars.
The National Awards are awarded to films excelling in various social, aesthetic and subjective parameters. In his letter, Gopalakrishnan said that the 2015 National Awards for best film and director went to commercial films.
Adoor Gopalakrishnan has won the National Award 16 times in his 50-year-old film career. He was conferred with the Padma Shri in 1984 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2006. Recently, he had supported the government’s demonetisation move, saying that the people would face temporary problems for the greater good of weeding out black money.
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“It may create some temporary problem for everybody, including myself, but we have to put up with that. Let us welcome that if it helps in the days to come. You never know. I hope for the best,” the veteran filmmaker said. Adding further, Gopalakrishnan said that the common man was facing a lot of problems due to black money and corruption.
