Film director and 69th National Film Awards panel jury member, Sajin Baabu, has made a startling claim, asserting that he was conspicuously absent from the ceremony held at Vigyan Bhavan in Delhi on Tuesday. In a lengthy Facebook post, the ‘Biriyaani’ filmmaker detailed his exclusion, expressing frustration at the lack of an official explanation. He suspected that his omission was connected to his earlier observation of a procedural error made by the Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC) in their submission for this year’s National Film Awards.
During an interview with Onmanorama, Baabu revealed that he had noticed that KSFDC had inadvertently submitted an uncensored film titled ‘Nishiddho’ with a duration that did not meet the National Awards’ requirements. He recalled that when he and another jury member pointed out these discrepancies, they were taken aback to find that the film had not undergone censorship. Back in Kerala, Baabu took to Facebook to highlight this procedural lapse, which ignited a significant backlash.
His primary motivation was to ensure that such incidents did not recur in the future. He questioned the ethics of submitting a film, financed by taxpayers and originating from a government institution like KSFDC, without adhering to the necessary standards. Baabu expressed his concern, stating, “Isn’t what they’ve done a huge injustice to a movie made with people’s tax money, to this movie, and to all the technicians who worked behind it?” He believes that his decision to challenge the KSFDC’s actions may have been the cause of his exclusion from the ceremony.
Baabu went on to describe the sequence of events that transpired after he raised the issue. He received a call from a prominent individual within KSFDC who expressed displeasure with his post. This was followed by an official email from the National Film Awards cell, warning about the potential consequences of disclosing jury deliberations. Baabu responded, clarifying that he had not disclosed any jury deliberations and believed it was his duty, as a filmmaker, to address practices that could undermine the prospects of fellow filmmakers.
In summary, Sajin Baabu’s absence from the National Film Awards ceremony and his allegations of being sidelined appear to be linked to his vocal critique of the KSFDC’s submission procedures, raising questions about transparency and accountability in the National Film Awards selection process.
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