Every Friday evening in the Sri Kumara Samajam building, near the Devi temple in Kodungallur – a small temple town in Kerala, a group of cinema enthusiasts gather to watch movies from across the world on a small screen with the aid of a projector. This eclectic group, comprising retired and serving government officials, school teachers and others, has a membership of about 300 and has been following this routine for the past eight years.
The group was recently was in the news after it filed a petition challenging the Supreme Court directive on November 30, 2016, that ordered the National Anthem to be played before every film and for people to stand up in respect. The petition resulted in the Apex Court modifying its judgement recently and held that playing the National Anthem was not mandatory in cinema halls.
Anoop Kumaran, former president of the Kodungallur Film Society says, “We felt that the judgement was unfair. Nationalism is something that should not be imposed. It was important to separate those who actually love the country from the bigots. Love for the country should be organic and not imposed by an authority.”
A few other issues also resulted in the drafting of the petition. “The International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) was held soon after the judgement was passed. We felt that it was not necessary to stand every single time a movie was played. We looked at the political and social ramifications of this move and decided to file a petition in court. We felt that the order curbed our democratic rights. We were a bit apprehensive initially, but the town stood by us. The crowds for the Friday shows have increased.”
Watching cinema, for the group, goes beyond a casual viewing session. “In our sessions, it was never about watching a film and going home. We want cinema with an underlying message. We also organise discussions on the films. All the films screened here have Malayalam subtitles. Some of the films offer us a glimpse of another culture and language. We want cinema to be a learning tool and want to shape the political discourse based on the films we watch. We believe in diversity and dialogue. Our members come from all sections of society,” says Kumaran. He points out, “Online tools such as torrents and subtitling software are very helpful.”
The KFS was formed in the 1970s after the Emergency. “It was part of multiple film societies that came up across the State. The group was not very active till the early 2000’s. It was the IFFK’s arrival in Kerala that has given a new lease of life to the club. There has been no looking back since,” says Kumaran.
