Pinarayi terms RSS-BJP threat against film-makers as "new manifestations of fascist mentality"
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, accompanied by his family, attended a screening of the film Empuraan at PVR Cinemas in Lulu Mall, Thiruvananthapuram (Image credit: X.com/@DearthOfSid)
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday lashed out at the Sangh Parivar - BJP for unleashing hate campaign against the makers of "Empuraan" film.
In a Facebook post, Pinarayi Vijayan who watched the film on Saturday, hailed the filmmakers for taking the Malayalam film industry to greater heights. The Sangh Parivar is rattled as the film mentions about one of the most brutal genocides the country has ever seen, he said and added that not only the cadres, but even the leaders of the BJP and the RSS are issuing open threats to the film-makers.
The Sangh Parivar and BJP have unleashed a massive campaign against Mohanlal-Prithviraj film accusing it of spreading anti-BJP and anti-Hindu narratives associated with 2002 Gujarat riots.
The chief minister said there have even been reports that the producers are being forced to re-censor and edit the film under pressure.
"This atmosphere of fear created by the Sangh Parivar is worrying. It is not good for democracy to have communal forces destroy a work of art and attack artists vilely because they have taken a stand against communalism and depicted its horrors," he said.
Pinarayi said in a democratic society, the freedom of expression of the citizen must be protected. Violent calls to destroy and ban art and the artist are new manifestations of fascist mentality. It is a violation of democratic rights.
The right to make films, to watch them, to enjoy them, to evaluate, to agree and to disagree, must not be lost. For that, the united voice of this country, which is rooted in democratic and secular values, must be raised, he said.
In a Facebook post, Pinarayi Vijayan who watched the film on Saturday, hailed the filmmakers for taking the Malayalam film industry to greater heights. The Sangh Parivar is rattled as the film mentions about one of the most brutal genocides the country has ever seen, he said and added that not only the cadres, but even the leaders of the BJP and the RSS are issuing open threats to the film-makers.
The Sangh Parivar and BJP have unleashed a massive campaign against Mohanlal-Prithviraj film accusing it of spreading anti-BJP and anti-Hindu narratives associated with 2002 Gujarat riots.
The chief minister said there have even been reports that the producers are being forced to re-censor and edit the film under pressure.
"This atmosphere of fear created by the Sangh Parivar is worrying. It is not good for democracy to have communal forces destroy a work of art and attack artists vilely because they have taken a stand against communalism and depicted its horrors," he said.
Pinarayi said in a democratic society, the freedom of expression of the citizen must be protected. Violent calls to destroy and ban art and the artist are new manifestations of fascist mentality. It is a violation of democratic rights.
The right to make films, to watch them, to enjoy them, to evaluate, to agree and to disagree, must not be lost. For that, the united voice of this country, which is rooted in democratic and secular values, must be raised, he said.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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