Veteran filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s controversial statements at the Kerala Film Policy Conclave on the Kerala government’s project to promote filmmakers from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST) communities and the one for women filmmakers, kicked up a storm on Monday (August 4, 2025), with Ministers, Dalit activists and filmmakers criticising him for his stand.
Dalit activist Dinu Veyil filed a complaint under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act with the Museum Police in Thiruvananthapuram and with the Kerala State SC/ST Commission against the filmmaker.
Adoor Gopalakrishnan resigns as Chairman of the K.R. Narayanan film institute
Mr. Gopalakrishnan had said the government’s project under which ₹1.5 crore is provided to aspiring women filmmakers and those from the SC/ST communities will pave the way for corruption. The intent behind the project is good, but they should be given at least three months of intensive training to make films, he had said, calling for a reduction in the amount to ₹50 lakh.
Minister for Cultural Affairs Saji Cherian had disagreed with him on stage and said “even ₹1.5 crore is insufficient to make quality films in these times.” He also stressed upon the need to support filmmakers from these communities as they “have not got any mainstream opportunities in the almost 100-year old history of Malayalam cinema.”
