Coming under public pressure, members of the Puravankara-Suchitra Cinema and Cultural Academy Trust (PSCCAT) on Sunday decided to reconsider their decision of prefixing the corporate entity’s name to the 45-year-old Suchitra Film Society.
After three hours of heated debate among trustees, founding members, theatre and literary personalities, and former trustees, the chairman of PSCCAT assured the gathering of placing the issue before the trust again.
Recently, there was resistance from artists to the State government’s attempt to allow the adoption of Venkatappa Art Gallery by a private foundation under corporate social responsibility. Now, the decision of the trustees of Suchitra Cinema and Cultural Academy Trust to add the corporate entity’s name to the cultural trust has triggered another debate in the cultural circle, with many film-makers, including Girish Kasaravalli, opposing the move. Film critic and art director of BIFFes, N. Vidyashankar, a former trustee, too has opposed the decision.
Suchitra Film Society was founded in 1971. The Suchitra Cinema and Cultural Academy was formed in 1980 when the government agreed to sanction land for construction of a theatre.
According to theatre and cine personality Prakash Belawadi, managing trustee of PSCCAT, the trust had no way of tiding over its “economic crisis” other than approaching the support of a donor. Puravankara Projects came forward with the promise of supporting the renovation of the the existing auditorium with state-of-the-art facility in two phases, but with three conditions, including naming the premises after it.
He maintained that though the former trustees and well-wishers of Suchitra were against this, the trustees ultimately agreed to the demand as the “purpose with which Suchitra Trust was formed was more important than its name”.
However, many personalities, including H.N. Narahari Rao, one of the founding members of Suchitra Film Society, and actor Shivaram have taken objection to the move. Those associated with Suchitra for more than four decades recalled the way the institution came up and appealed that the name Puravankara be dropped as the trust is something “connected to emotions”.
