Coming down hard on “forces of intolerance” for their attacks on filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan and other independent-minded artists, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the State will provide all security and the right atmosphere for them to continue to pursue their art independently and fearlessly.
He was speaking at the presentation ceremony of the 49th Kerala State Film Awards at Nishagandhi here on Saturday.
Communalism
“For the past few years, fascist forces have been trying to spread the poison of communalism and intolerance even in the field of cinema. Personalities such as Dileep Kumar, Shabana Azmi, Kamal Haasan, and Anand Patwardhan had to face threats and attacks. The latest round of attacks and threats against Adoor has to be seen as a part of these moves to silence filmmakers and creative artists. They know that their brand of politics can go forward only if those who fearlessly voice their opinions are silenced. Let these forces keep in mind that such threats will not work in Kerala,” the Chief Minister said.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Vijayan visited Mr. Gopalakrishnan at his home in the city to express solidarity with the filmmaker who is facing a verbal attack from right wing forces. The filmmaker was one of the 49 signatories to an open letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi against the lynching of Dalits and Muslims.
