GUWAHATI, March 30 � Legendary film and documentary maker Adoor Gopalakrishnan believes that censorship of Indian cinema has no relevance when there is no censorship of television. The Guest of the Month at the Guwahati Press Club today, the creative, free-spirited and straightforward Gopalakrishnan also spoke on violence, social media and impact of television on Indian cinema.
Adoor came here to receive the coveted Bishwaratna Dr Bhupen Hazarika International Solidarity Award, 2015 that was conferred on him yesterday. The well-known Malayalam film director interacted with mediapersons today.
�I am against any kind of censorship. Why is there a censorship only on cinema and not on television, which can show anything without any obstruction? How can we stop obscenity or violence on the television? If at all necessary, do it the way China does. We are, at least in appearance, a democracy,� he said.
Critical of the impact of television on meaningful Indian cinema, he said that television did just the opposite to what was expected from it, in the context of Indian cinema.
�Television has miserably failed to promote meaningful cinema. Rather, its acute inclination towards the commercial cinema has adversely affected the good cinema, which is being sidelined by the TV channels,� he said.
He further added that the social media has become far more dangerous due to its misuse.
Terming filmmaking a serious cultural activity, he said that the regional cinema must get the support of State governments. �Assamese cinema too, has an audience, but it requires good financial assistance from the State government and good infrastructure to showcase the regional cinema,� he added.
A winner of many national awards, the Dadasaheb Phalke award as well as a recipient of the Padma Vibhushan, the world-acclaimed filmmaker felt that commercial success of films propounding violence was rather aggravating violence than showing the true picture of the society.
�Though affected by violence to some extent, the Indian people still have values. Imitating Hollywood and showing violence does not augur well for our society,� he said asking the film lovers to discourage violence in cinema by simply avoiding such films.
Asking parents to play a greater role in this regard, he said that children�s films should be made available to the children, specially in schools etc. �On the other hand, when parents themselves go for watching films showing violence, how would they stop their children! Good children�s films are being made, but there is a need to make them accessible to the children,� he said.