The IFFK award selection seems to have created a new controversy in Mollywood as film makers started criticizing each other from the moment Jayaraj’s Ottal had won the best film award and other 4 major awards in the International Film Festival of Kerala. In the 20 years of IFFK history, this is the first time that a Malayalam cinema gets the best film award in the Festival.
But director Sanal Kumar Sasidharan came out against that selection of award through his facebook page saying that it was undeserving and the real deserved winner was Iranian film Immortal. He said that it just feels like an award was given to a Malayalam film only because the center of film festival is at Kerala. He also indirectly said that the film Ottal lacked international standard when compared to the other films that competed in the film festival. But now popular director Dr. Biju had come out in support of Ottal and slammed the criticisms by Sanal Kumar Sasidharan.
Dr. Biju said that Ottal had got two national awards, awards in Mumbai International film festival, got Indian Panorama selection and only after that now it had got 4 prestigious awards at IFFK. He reminded the people who criticizes the award selection that it is foolishness to think that only one’s perspective about cinema and its standard is best. If one thinks Ottal is not up to international standard, it’s only his personal view but don’t try to force it on others and say that the film not at all good like an Almighty. He said that director Jayaraj’s many films were selected and screened at many popular film festivals like Berlin, Locarno, Carlo Vivari etc. One has to think before criticizing Jayaraj that whether any single film of his was ever screened at a film festival outside India or not and whether he have the eligibility to criticize a film maker like Jayaraj.
Dr. Bju says that first these criticizers have to make a mark in any corner of the map of world cinema. Then come and criticize a film and film maker who created history. He said that the jury members who decided the award dies not have a Malayali in it and still they chose a Malayalam film as the best one in the 20 year history of IFFK. It’s a proud moment and we all have to feel happy for that. Sanal Kumar Sasidharan’s film Ozhivu Nerathe kali also won the award for best Malayalam film.
