Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Higher Education Minister R Bindu has strongly criticised veteran filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan over his recent remarks against women and Dalit filmmakers.

The minister responded via Facebook, stating, “There is no point in being celebrated at world film festivals, one should develop one’s heart. One should become a human being.”

Adoor Gopalakrishnan made the remarks during the closing ceremony of the Cinema Conclave, an event organised by the Kerala government as part of discussions around its new film policy.

His comments targeted women directors and filmmakers from Scheduled Castes which has has been condemned across the film industry and political circles.

Adoor questions public funding for Dalit and women filmmakers

Adoor criticised the practice of offering financial aid to filmmakers based on gender or caste background, stating, “don’t give funds just because someone is a woman. People from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are paid Rs 1.5 crore to make a film. This will lead to corruption.”

He also suggested that those selected from the SC/ST community should be given at least three months of training before giving funds.

After Adoor’s comments, a number of filmmakers at the event voiced their disagreement. Some, like director Dr Biju, tried to address his remarks directly, but Adoor continued speaking.

He also took aim at the recent demonstrations at the KR Narayanan Film Institute, suggesting that the unrest was a backlash against efforts to reintroduce discipline at the campus. Adoor also stated that government funding is intended to support meaningful, high-quality cinema – not for producing mainstream or commercial films.