Follow TNM’s WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.
Paying tribute to the rich history of Malayalam cinema, touching on the need to formulate a comprehensive policy to address its many issues, the two-day film policy conclave of Kerala began on Saturday, August 2, in Thiruvananthapuram. In attendance were many actors, filmmakers, and technicians of Malayalam cinema, guests from afar, and lawmakers of Kerala. Senior actors Suhasini Maniratnam and Mohanlal became chief guests at the event inaugurated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
In a venue to remember the greatness of Malayalam cinema, there is a need to talk about the attempts made by some to destroy that greatness, CM Pinarayi said, as he inaugurated the film policy conclave. He was talking about the National Film Awards announced a day earlier, for which the Hindi film The Kerala Story, reputed to have portrayed the southern state in a very bad light, won the award for Best Director.
“It can only be seen as a recognition of using cinema as a means to propagate communal hatred. By awarding a film that insults the secular history of Kerala, they have also insulted the great cultural history of Indian cinema, and passed on a wrong message of using art to paint the secular state with a coat of communalism. Those in the cultural space of Kerala, especially cinema, should stand together against such attempts,” CM Pinarayi said.
Outlining the history of Malayalam cinema, from JC Daniel’s first silent film in 1930, Vigathakumaran, to the multilingual film with Malayali actors that won the Grand Prix at Cannes, All We Imagine As Light, the Chief Minister poured out a glorious tribute. He did not forget to mention that while the other language films were launched with mythological epics, Malayalam cinema began its journey raising socially relevant topics, rooted to the ground and humanity.
Minister for Cultural Affairs Saji Cherian said that one of the main objectives of the film policy conclave was to develop Kerala as the most film-friendly state in India. Experts in the field were consulted for the formulation of the policy. The film policy committee headed by late filmmaker Shaji N Karun had met 75 organisations and over 500 individuals for the purpose.
The Minister recalled that the idea for a film policy began when women working in Malayalam cinema approached the Chief Minister with a memorandum to address the issues they faced, and the CM constituted a committee [the Hema Committee] for it. Based on the Hema Committee report and the Adoor committee recommendations before it, the need for a comprehensive film policy was realised.
Gender equality in cinema, workplace safety, job contracts, pension, health insurance, and other welfare, industry status for cinema, films at the time of Artificial Intelligence, e-ticketing and many other topics will be part of the ten main areas of discussion to be held over the two days.
Mohanlal shared his wishes for the film policy to give a clear direction for Malayalam cinema, to be democratic, and one that reassured the livelihood and welfare of the many who worked in it. Suhasini called Malayalam cinema, god’s own cinema, referring to the ‘god’s own country’ label for Kerala. Every time she did a Malayalam film she had unlearned many wrong things and learnt a lot about good cinema, and hoped that the conclave too will be such a model for other conclaves in the rest of the country.
Along with Mohanlal and Suhasini, renowned filmmakers Saeed Mirza, Hansal Mehta and Vetrimaaran, and Oscar winning sound designer Resul Pookutty, along with senior lyricist Kaithapram Damodaran Namboodiri were honoured on the stage.