Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday lashed out at the Central government for the confusion at the 65th National Film Awards ceremony, which 55 of the 125 winners skipped, after he found out that President Ram Nath Kovind will present the award to only 11 winners.
Vijayan on Friday night wrote on his Facebook page that what one witnessed on Thursday “was the intolerance of the Centre”.
Former Defence Minister AK Antony, talking to media persons in Malappuram, said that the Central government should not have created this confusion.
From among the fairly big contingent of award winners from the Malayalam film industry, veteran playback singer KJ Yesudas and director Jayaraj, after expressing their displeasure against this, went and collected their award.
Jayaraj, who was among the only three members from the Malayalam industry to have attended the ceremony, said that the winners who boycotted the event must return the cash award too.
Director Jayaraj, who won the award for the best director for his film Bhayanakam, told TNM, “I find nothing wrong in having said that. I do not want to comment further, let the others respond to what I have said, then I will comment more on this matter."
The letter was signed by 69 artists and filmmakers who said, “It seems unfortunate that 65 years of tradition are being overturned in a jiffy.”
(With IANS inputs)
(Published in arrangement with The News Minute with inputs from IANS.)
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