Regretting successive governments’ apathy towards “good” cinema, renowned film-maker Adoor Gopalakrishnan on Sunday said that Doordarshan, which recommenced telecast of the Indian Panorama and award-winning regional language feature films on its national channel, was “planning to reduce the money being paid for regional films”.
At an interaction programme at BIFFes, he said, Doordarshan is learnt to have decided to cut the money being paid from Rs. 25 lakh to Rs. 12.5 lakh. “Interestingly, it has not invited applications for films so far,” he said. Coming under pressure from prominent film-makers from across the country, Doordarshan started showing best regional films recently and was paying Rs. 25 lakh for the first premiere and Rs. 15 for the second premiere.
Stating that the National Film Archives of India (NFAI) is digitalising his films which are 10-year old, Mr. Gopalakrishnan said that some companies had uploaded his films on YouTube without his consent. “My films are literally being stolen,” he said in a fit of anger.
Expressing his discontent over the functioning of the National Film Development Corporation, which at one point of time was the saviour of parallel film movement in India, Mr. Gopalakrishnan said, “The NFDC is now in a dormant state and is promoting five-star culture for its own existence”.
Though he disclosed that he was making a feature film after seven years, he said he did not want to discuss about it as pre-publicity would come in his way of making the film.
Appreciating the support and encouragement being extended by the Maharashtra government to films, he said, “That is why Marathi films are making news both at the national and international levels”.
Mr. Gopalakrishnan also complimented the Maharashtra government for making it mandatory for all multiplexes to screening of Marathi films.
