Days after the Kerala High Court ordered the screening of Malayalam film S Durga, earlier dropped by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry against the decision of the selection jury, at the ongoing International Film Festival of India in Goa, the helmer has written a letter to IFFI director Sunit Tandon, requesting him to schedule a screening date for his film even as the lead actor Kannan Nayar on Thursday said the festival authorities are yet to respond and "avoiding" him.
The film, revolving around the harrowing experience of a couple, was dropped from the Panorama section of the 48th edition of IFFI in Goa.
Sasidharan moved to Kerala HC against the Ministry's decision and the court ruled in his favour. But Nayar said that the festival director told him he isn't the right person to take a decision on the matter. "We didn't get any information from the I&B ministry. I had approached Sunit Tandon but he is not responding and has been avoiding me. He said he is not the right person to talk about the issue. I feel they (IFFI and the ministry) are wasting time. I am here as a delegate and they are treating me really badly," the actor said.
The filmmaker also took to Facebook to call out the Government for its unbalanced stance. He wrote, "This is a beginning of a new era in the history of Indian democracy. The only idea is to delay the matter further and to avoid the screening of the film in IFFI at any cost. If all the legal battles I won, I fear what kind of weapon the state is going to use against me. Will it rethink the self-moratorium in using those mighty warheads?"
Meanwhile, in the letter that Nayar handed over to Tandon, Sasidharan wrote, "I am the director of the film 'S Durga'. I am writing to you to inform that my representative, Mr Kannan Nayar shall be handing over (copy of the same is attached herewith) the order dated 21/11/17 passed by the honourable High Court of Kerala in W P (C) 36600/2017 whereby your office was directed to exhibit my film 'S Durga' in the IFFI presently held at Goa.
"Kindly schedule a date for the screening for my film 'S Durga'. Please let me know the date urgently so that I and my entire team can be present along with the censored version of the said film," he wrote in the letter.
Sasidharan also requested Tandon to offer them the hospitality that is provided to other "participating filmmakers."
He also said they would file a contempt of court but the decision is still on hold as their lawyer said that the ministry may go for a stay order on the decision.
The director is currently in Brisbane to attend the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, where he was nominated in the best director category for S Durga.
(With inputs from PTI)
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