National award for 'The Kerala Story' is disappointing, dangerous: FTII students body
Pune (PTI): A students' outfit at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) has strongly condemned the decision to confer a national award to "The Kerala Story", citing that the government-backed recognition for the film is "not simply disappointing, but dangerous".
Filmmaker Sudipto Sen won the Best Director award for "The Kerala Story", which also received the award for Best Cinematography at the 71st National Film Awards.
The 2023 film had courted controversy for its portrayal of women in Kerala being forcefully converted and recruited by the terror group Islamic State.
The Students' Association of the FTII, in a statement on August 2, said 'The Kerala Story' was not a film, but a weapon.
"The state has once again made its position clear: it will reward propaganda disguised as cinema if it aligns with its majoritarian, hate-filled agenda. 'The Kerala Story' is not a film; it is a weapon. A falsified narrative aimed at vilifying the Muslim community and demonising an entire state that has historically stood for communal harmony, education, and resistance," it said.
Cinema is not neutral, it is a powerful instrument of influence, it said, adding that the decision to award the film is "simply not disappointing, but dangerous".
"When a government-endorsed body elevates a film that spreads misinformation and paranoia against minorities, it is not merely 'recognising art', it is legitimising violence. It is scripting future lynchings, social exclusion, and political othering," the statement read.
The students' outfit further condemned the fact that cinema is being reduced to a tool of state-sponsored communalism.
"We refuse to accept that Islamophobia is now award-worthy. And we refuse to be silent as the industry we hope to enter is being reshaped to reward lies, bigotry, and fascist ideology. The state must understand: giving awards to propaganda does not make it true. And we, as students and citizens, will not stop calling it what it is-incitement. Violence," it added.
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4 held for sexually assaulting woman, girl on moving bus after social media alert in UP's Agra
Agra (UP) (PTI): Four people were arrested, after a prompt response by police following a social media alert, for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman and a girl inside a moving bus here, officials said on Tuesday.
According to an official police statement, at 12:27 am on April 27, information was received on the social media platform X about an incident of sexual assault on a bus travelling from Kanpur to Ahmedabad, which was approaching Namner crossing in Agra.
Acting under the direction of Police Commissioner Deepak Kumar, the Agra Police social media team immediately alerted the Rakabganj police station within minutes and coordinated with the victims to confirm the incident and obtain the exact location, it stated.
Police teams launched intensive checking at Namner crossing and intercepted the bus as it reached the spot. The four accused involved in the incident were apprehended on the spot, and legal action was initiated against them, the statement said.
The police said the swift response and coordination between the social media team and field units ensured timely action, bringing relief to the victims and other passengers, who expressed gratitude towards the police, it added.
