A familiar face in Malayalam cinema and Kerala politics, actor-turned-BJP politician G Krishna Kumar now dons a new mantle -- chairman of the National Film Development Corporation. But more than anything else, it is the role of a doting father to four daughters that he cherishes.
In a candid chat with TNIE, he opens up about his plans for NFDC, how he joined the BJP, his warm relations with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the constant cyber bullying against his family.
Excerpts
You recently took over as the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) chairman. What’s your immediate plan? Are you going for a drastic change?
The organisation is getting a chairman after 11 years. Naturally, I have been assigned the task of revamping NFDC and taking the organisation back to its glorious past. We have been asked to make good films. Changes should be made to film festivals. There are controversies associated with national awards. We will explore how the process can be modernised. The government is ready to provide funding. NFDC is like an ocean. Instead of jumping into everything, I’m trying to streamline certain sectors. There’s some opposition as those who enjoyed the comforts for long don’t want to dilute those powers. There will be heavy resistance when they sense some kind ofchange. I have no issues with them and I want to take them along.
Does NFDC support regional language movies?
There is no preference for Hindi. Movies can be made in any language. This time the focus is on the North East. The south’s film industry is more developed. Highest number of entries for national awards comes from south India. I wish to bring development to the industry in other parts. We have a plan for building theatres too. They will either be run directly by us or through PPP.
Viewers’ choices are changing and OTT is getting immensely popular. Can’t NFDC do co-productions for OTT?
We have discussed it. Doordarshan has an OTT platform, WAVES. It does not have a huge viewership. Joint ventures with private organisations like Netflix or Amazon are possible. In the past, NFDC showed interest only in parallel cinema. I suggested that NFDC support commercial films as well. It will help in revenue generation.
As a PSU, what drawbacks do you see in the organisation?
Unlike PSUs like IOC or BPCL that generate revenue, NFDC has more expenses than revenue. We make films to promote talent. Those films may not be commercial successes and we cannot expect returns from them. I’m not sure whether that can be counted as a drawback. Personally, I wasn’t a big shot but a struggling person in the film industry. This post does not require a person of stardom. Stars cannot move around freely the way I can. I have interacted with many prominent personalities to gather ideas. I got this position at 57 and suddenly I am working hard like a youngster.
Many stalwarts have sat in the NFDC chairman’s seat. To use your own words, you entered the role as someone who hasn’t achieved as much in cinema...
This is a chair once occupied by legends like Om Puri. As a mid-tier actor, I have seen every level of this industry. With 37 years in this medium, extensive public engagement, and experience contesting two elections, I am realistic about this appointment. It is no secret that this is a political posting. My priority is to master the role. I feel no inferiority complex. I have derived immense job satisfaction from day one. Naturally, there is always initial friction. But I can manage that with warmth. God has granted me two great weapons: patience and silence. As long as I hold on to them, I’m confident I can set things right.
How did the post come to you? Were there any initial discussions?
I was initially hopeful of contesting from the Vattiyoorkavu in the assembly election. However, the leadership decided to field another candidate who they felt had better winning prospects. Shortly after, an invitation arrived for my family to meet the PM. During the meeting, the PM spoke with my wife and daughters for nearly 45 minutes, listening attentively as they discussed my political journey and how the family navigated it. As we were leaving, he reassured me, saying, “Don’t worry, Krishnakumar, I will take care of you.”
On the eve of the elections, I noticed several missed calls and a message from the I&B minister’s office asking me to call back urgently. When I connected with the minister, he conveyed the decision to appoint me as the NFDC chairman and asked when I could assume charge. I candidly expressed my reservations and asked for two days. He suggested I come to Delhi to receive a briefing. I subsequently accepted it and officially took charge on April 16.
How did your personal association with Prime Minister Narendra Modi begin?
I never made any effort to reach out to him personally. My journey in this path began much earlier, when I first attended an RSS shakha in 1982. Though my father had a Congress background, I gradually became associated with the RSS through family friends. In 2020, I became a party member, and contested the elections in 2021. During the campaign, PM Modi came to Kerala. As he walked onto the stage, he recognised me, patted me on the shoulder, and addressed me by name. Later, whenever I met him, he remembered me. For someone who meets lakhs of people, I consider that a blessing.
You said your father was a Congress supporter. What attracted you to BJP?
Every society needs a leader or a role model. Indira Gandhi was a leader, irrespective of her achievements and lapses. Today, we have a leader with whom global leaders are eager to engage. Even during crises like the Strait of Hormuz tensions, India continued receiving gas and fuel supplies. Development is happening on a large scale. When a good leader emerges, people naturally want to associate with that party. That has been my perspective from the beginning. There can be problems, but I chose to be part of it.
National film awards declaration always invites controversies. What are the measures taken to ensure transparency and to avoid controversies?
Addressing those issues is a continuous process. Controversies are somewhat inevitable because perspective plays a huge role. On top of that, we have the daunting task of selecting just a few winners from around 800 submitted films. We constantly strive for maximum transparency, but subjective opinions will always exist. Ultimately, it comes down to a majority decision. For instance, I was fully convinced about awarding Mammootty, even knowing some might disagree. It is simply tough to have a single, fixed solution for artistic judgement.
There’s a critique that, in recent years, awards are increasingly given to pro-nationalist films that align with the ruling government’s narrative. How do you view this?
There’s nothing inherently wrong in honouring films that promote nationalism, provided it does not happen at the expense of artistic merit and good filmmaking. We must keep national interests in mind. Whatever one’s political leaning, it is crucial to recognise that there is no ‘us’ without the nation. A country prospers only when there is a peaceful environment. Opposing everything just for the sake of opposition serves no purpose. Furthermore, these awards are never decided by a single person. When you have a panel of jury members, it is only natural for personal perspectives and subtle influences to come into play.
There’s a view the jury attempts to balance these decisions, for instance, giving the Best Feature Film award to ‘Article 370’ while tempering criticism by honouring Mammootty...
The film ‘Article 370’ deals with the revocation of J&K’s special status. It helped people understand the rationale behind repealing ‘Article 370’. Beyond political affiliations, this was a matter of national interest. For three decades, Kashmir was engulfed in turmoil because of separatism, causing immense human suffering. Similarly, ‘The Kashmir Files’ brought light to the exodus and genocide of Kashmiri Pandits. The public connected with that narrative and it naturally resonated with the jury as well. As for Mammootty, his performance was simply extraordinary. There was no alternative choice... an exceptional performance naturally commands the award regardless of external narratives.
This time the Best Actor award was bestowed on two actors...
Personally, I’m not fond of the idea of sharing an award. But what can a jury do when two exceptional, towering performances come head-to-head? Whichever way you decide, complaints are bound to happen.
You struggled for years in cinema. You moved from being a junior artist to getting notable roles, but your career never took off beyond that...
I consider everything to be a matter of luck. There was a time Hindi cinema was ruled by a Khan Market culture. Something similar exists here too. There are political reasons, religious reasons, and many other factors. There are many things in cinema that people don’t see. People talk about the ‘Mattancherry lobby’. If you ask me, yes it’s there. Take the recent CJP protest held at Maharaja’s College. It was evident that politics, religion were all involved. There were communists present and Congress workers too. People often accuse the BJP alone of being communal. But no political party here has survived without engaging with caste and community equations.
The first reform we need is to remove the caste column from school admission forms. My wife and I belong to different castes, and that has never been an issue. One of my daughters married someone from another caste. My other daughter is going to marry someone from another religion. I have absolutely no problem with it. Yet people label me a communal BJP supporter or even call me a ‘Chaanaka Sanghi’ (laughs).
Malayalam cinema is currently going through a turbulent phase with issues related to AMMA and the Hema Committee report. Do you think there is a power group in Malayalam cinema?
It isn’t just in Malayalam cinema. People who cannot stand alone unite. It brings strength. Now, that organising can happen based on political ideology, religious ideology, or various other lines of thought. So, naturally, power groups will emerge. I don’t see anything wrong with that. Often, those who create groups don’t come to the forefront. They push others forward. Power groups exist everywhere. It’s a natural phenomenon. We should counter it by organising, as complaining achieves nothing.
Now, you hold a responsible position and are a member of AMMA too. Have you intervened in its recent issues?
My daughter and I are both members. There are two or three reasons why I couldn’t intervene. First, I don’t even know if they are aware that I became the NFDC chairman (laughs)! Although I haven’t studied it deeply, listening to what many people share, these are problems arising from having a lot of money. A lack of financial discipline can be a problem in many places. Initially, Madhu Sir was at the top. Then came Mammootty and Mohanlal. They are individuals who command a lot of respect. Now, the organisation’s image has been completely tarnished. It lies shattered. This organisation does a lot of good work. Taking petty issues and plastering them on social media without acknowledging any of those good deeds was very bad.
Do you think there’s a religious divide in what you are talking about?
It’s there everywhere! There’s no place without a religious divide. Look at politics. There’s a party explicitly named the Muslim League. Isn’t that communal? Doesn’t that party function on the foundation of a single religion? We all claim to be secular. When it comes to our children’s marriage, everyone sets secularism aside. The problem arises when I start thinking that people belonging to my religion should prosper. That’s when others get cut out.
What exactly stops BJP’s growth in Kerala?
If you look at places where the party has become strong, BJP will have a face like Yogi (Adityanath) in UP or Suvendu (Adhikari) in West Bengal. Now we don’t have such a face here. Though there are many leaders, there is no specific leader who can be termed as the face of BJP in Kerala. Once that happens, things will become easy. Today, votes are polled primarily because of Modi’s aura and based on individual candidates. If the party gets a face, then half the work is done. I think that’s the only way.
So you think BJP has a leadership vacuum?
I would call it a leader vacuum. It has a team but no tall individual leader to take it forward. In the lower rungs, there’s massive churning in voting but the party is unable to cash in.
You come across as a father who is well-suited for today’s times. You have four daughters and all four possess very strong personalities. What are the dynamics in the family?
Growing up, I rarely interacted with young women; it was extremely uncomfortable for me to even sit around them. However, 31 years ago, I married Sindhu, and we had four daughters. Fast forward, and today, I know nothing about men! Ask me anything about women, and I can explain it completely. That’s the immense power women have to influence you. They have transformed me like this. They may be younger to me, but I feel their souls have travelled much further than mine.
You and your family have often faced cyber bullying. How do you deal with it?
I always tell my children not to react immediately. If our actions are right and allegations still come, I believe those allegations eventually strengthen us. Whenever a controversy arises, I tell my family not to panic. We have gone through difficult situations before, but good things have followed. I see criticism as part of life rather than something to fear. Those who criticise us are also part of our ecosystem. I don’t think about what I haven’t achieved. I think about everything I already have. That sense of gratitude keeps me happy.
Who are your friends in other political parties?
I share good relations with many leaders. When the issue about my daughter came up, I called the then CM (Pinarayi Vijayan); later I met Sasiyettan (P Sasi). I share a long-term relationship with the current CM (V D Satheesan). I had a warm relationship with the late (Congress leader) Karthikeyan sir... I shared good relations with many leaders like Muneer, Basheer Thangal (of IUML). Religion or politics shouldn’t stop friendly relations. I may speak about political parties, but not against individual leaders. The chief minister and V D Satheesan are different.
Now there’s a trend of roasting movies, mostly unsuccessful ones. How do you see this trend?
Even my children send me stickers with my face. Jokes apart, younger generations would not have known an actor like Jayan or Prem Nazir if not for such a trend. Some of them cross certain boundaries. Otherwise, anyone would enjoy harmless laughs. Actor Sreenivasan initiated such a trend... he would laugh at himself. I certainly enjoy it!