As criticism continues to mount against veteran filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan, noted Dalit activist and Ambedkarite scholar Dinu Veyil has sharply condemned his recent remarks at the Kerala Film Policy Conclave in Thiruvananthapuram. In a social media post on Sunday, Dinu accused Adoor of reinforcing casteist stereotypes and undermining the creative agency of marginalised filmmakers.

The controversy stems from Adoor’s comments criticising the allocation of Rs 1.5 crore to SC/ST filmmakers, which he described as a possible “pathway for corruption”. He suggested that filmmakers from these communities expect to be given money to simply “go off and make a film”, and argued that funding should not be offered based on identity alone.

Responding in a detailed post, Dinu wrote: “On what data is Adoor basing his claim that the funds given to SC/ST communities will create a pathway for corruption? Are Dalit and Adivasi communities people who just sit around expecting someone to hand them money so they can go off and make a film with it?”

He further questioned whether Adoor believes Dalit and Adivasi filmmakers are incapable of understanding public resources. “Does Adoor think we are ignorant fools who know nothing about public resources or common wealth? His preconceptions reflect a casteist stereotype about an entire community. It is indeed casteism.”

Meanwhile, more critics argue that the Vidheyan filmmaker’s views contradict the goals of the conclave, which aimed to chart a more inclusive and representative path forward for Malayalam cinema. The filmmaker has yet to respond directly to the criticism, but his speech, where he also made contentious statements about women filmmakers and student protesters, has already sparked demands for an official clarification from the organisers.