KOCHI: Filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan has strongly criticised the censoring of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Padmavati' and the threats faced by Sanal Kumar Sasidharan's 'S Durga', saying no single organisation has the right to generalise its opinion as the view of the entire Hindu community.
He was speaking at the 'Scholar-in-Campus' programme organised by the Kerala Media Academy here on Monday. Adoor said the government and the police stood as mere spectators when the so-called activists destroyed the sets of 'Padmavati' in Jaipur.
"No single organisation has the right to generalise its opinion as the view of the entire Hindu community and perpetuate violence in the name of 'hurting the sentiments of Hindus'," he said.
Adoor said, these days many commercial filmmakers ensure the contents of their films do not 'offend' the audience and create any such issues, so that the films will get a certificate from the censor board.
"A director, actor or producer has a responsibility towards the cinema they work in and the risk and criticisms are part of it, which they are not ready to accept. The only thing which should concern an artist is the ability to optimise his talent, and not criticism or threats," he said.
"Censoring, in reality, is not required for films. In fact, the Censor Board was formed to protect the filmmakers," he said.
The movie 'Padmavati' has been in the eye of a storm for the past few months with many religious and political organisations protesting against its release on December 1. Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Gujarat have banned its screening. 'S Durga' has also been pulled into a similar quagmire with its director Sasidharan receiving threats from religious extremists for using the term 'Sexy' with Durga, a Hindu Goddess.
Kerala Media Academy chairman R S Babu said the digital print of all films by Adoor will be made available in the Academy for screening. Kerala Media Academy Institute of Communication director M Shankar welcomed the gathering while secretary K G Santhosh proposed a vote of thanks.