Filmmaker Cherian Lambastes Government Over Interference in Films

Hyderabad: Prolific writer V.K. Cherian, who was in town on Thursday, called out the propagandist nature of several films making headlines and the dangers of it.

Taking people back to the history of such films and how they entered India, the most interesting topic of discussion at the event was the film policy during the Nehruvian era, which figured prominently during a Q&A session.

Cherian spoke about how, for decades, films were being responsibly promoted by the Centre, with a focus on ‘development communication.’

“There was a film made about 25 years of Independent India where it criticised several things about the government in par, but the film ran as successfully as any other film would, with no trouble from the Centre. How confidently can a director make such a film today and not worry

Cherian drew people's attention to the timing of several pro-government movies being released just months ahead of the elections. One delegate even pointed out the case of the Accidental Prime Minister's desperate fight for a release just before the 2019 elections.

“It was Kashmir Files, there's Kerala Story and soon there will be Delhi Files on the Delhi riots. There's news also about counter-propaganda films by AAP. Despite the court calling out the false portrayal of three to be 32,000 women's stories in the Kerala Story, the film is being screened in states ruled by the BJP tax-free. Such exemptions are the biggest source of encouragement to this new crop of filmmakers,” he said, adding that the national awards too are clearly and brazenly growing more and more political.

The discussion ended with a discussion on solutions to end the trend and most concluded that the audience has an immense responsibility to discern and be watchful of such “WhatsApp forwards-inspired films”, especially ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.