Veteran filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan has responded to the backlash over his controversial comments at the closing ceremony of the Kerala Film Policy Conclave, insisting that his statements were misrepresented and not aimed at any community. The comments, which addressed the State’s initiative to fund first-time filmmakers from the Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), and women’s backgrounds, have drawn widespread criticism and led to a police complaint.
Clarifying his position, Adoor said his concern was solely about the effective use of public money. “I am not against women or marginalised groups. I only said those without prior experience should receive proper training. That is the only way to ensure quality and sustainability,” he said. According to him, some past recipients lacked a basic understanding of the cinematic craft and ended up producing films that relied entirely on the technicians, with little creative input from the directors themselves.
“Even I have never made a film with a Rs 1.5 crore budget,” he added. “Instead of giving this amount to one filmmaker, it could be shared between three. That way, more people benefit, and wastage is avoided.” He accused critics of distorting his remarks and maintained that he had raised similar concerns with the Chief Minister earlier, warning of potential misuse of the funds.
Also, he lashed out at singer Pushpavathy, who had interrupted his speech at the conclave in protest. He dismissed her act as attention-seeking and questioned the Minister’s silence during the incident. “The person who protested has nothing to do with cinema. And now she has all the media attention,” he said. Unapologetic, he reiterated his stance: “Training is essential, regardless of identity. Those opposing this are simply unaware. I will not retract my words about Chala market workers either. I was only repeating what I had heard.” He was referring to a past incident where, according to him, labourers from Chala market rushed into a theatre to watch an adult scene during a film screening at the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), which he cited as a reason for raising delegate fees to ensure that only serious viewers attend film festivals.
Meanwhile, social activist and Dalit scholar Dinu Veyil has filed a complaint against the filmmaker at the Museum police station in Thiruvananthapuram, alleging that his comments violate the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. A similar complaint has also been submitted to the SC/ST Commission. Dinu, in a social media post, accused Adoor of reinforcing caste stereotypes and attempting to delegitimise the creative aspirations of marginalised filmmakers.
The controversy has sparked diverse reactions across the political spectrum. Higher Education Minister R Bindu criticised Adoor’s stance, saying that it was the government’s duty to ensure justice for those historically excluded. “The camera’s gaze has long been male,” she said. Minister V N Vasavan, however, defended the filmmaker, claiming his words were misread and sensationalised. Congress leader K Muraleedharan termed the remarks unfortunate and said it was inappropriate to single out any one community. MP K Radhakrishnan also condemned the comments, stating, “Someone like Adoor should not have made such statements. They discourage the emergence of women and Dalit filmmakers.”
