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Give serious cinema a chance, theatre owners told

Staff Reporter

Theatre owners told to be more considerate

HONOURING A MAESTRO: The Dadsaheb Phalke Award winner Adoor Gopalakrishnan, right, at a reception accorded to him at Kochi on Saturday. Minister for Cultural Affairs A. P. Anil Kumar, centre, and Minister for Fisheries Dominic Presentation are seen. Photo: VipinChandran

KOCHI: Noted film-maker and winner of this year's Dadasaheb Phalke Award Adoor Gopalakrishnan has called upon theatre owners to give a chance to serious cinema also.

Speaking after being felicitated by the Malayalam film fraternity on Saturday at the Ramavarma Club Auditorium on the occasion of winning the award, Mr. Gopalakrishnan said that the audience of serious cinema should be given a chance to watch the films in theatres.

Mr. Gopalakrishnan said that he never considered winning the Phalke Award as a personal achievement, but as an honour bestowed upon Indian language and cinema.

He said that he had got the Phalke Award 40 years after he had graduated from the FTII, Pune in 1965.

Even after completing the course, he had to wait for seven years, before his directorial debut, `Swayamvaram,' was made in 1972.

Mr. Gopalakrishnan remembered that at that time, nobody had believed that the art of film making could be taught at any school or institution. Culture Minister A. P. Anilkumar who inaugurated the function said that the honour bestowed upon Mr. Gopalakrishnan was a honour for the State.

He said that Mr. Gopalakrishnan had presented the live issues of Kerala's social and cultural spheres through his films.

The Fisheries and Sports Minister Dominic Presentation, who presided over the meeting, said that though the Phalke Award was often given after people retired from cinema, it was a mid-career present for Mr. Gopalakrishnan.

Delivering the key-note address, film star Mammootty, who had acted in three of Adoor films, said that Mr. Gopalakrishnan had introduced a new grammar of narration in Malayalam cinema.

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