Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan praised world-renowned director Adoor Gopalakrishnan at a time when the latter has been facing flak over his stand on alleged caste discrimination at KR Narayanan National Institute of Visual Science and Arts (KRNNIVSA). 

According to Vijayan, Adoor Gopalakrishnan is the brand ambassador of Malayalam cinema in the international area. “He deconstructed existing artistic notion and swam against currents,” he said. Vijayan noted that his passion for cinema made him to quit the government job he had. 

His words came during the event, in which CPM mouthpiece Deshabhimani ‘s award  was handed over to Adoor.    

The students of KRNNIVSA have accused institute director Shankar Mohan and his wife of caste discrimination. The institute's chairman Adoor is accused of protecting them. The protest has been going on for months.