24 more return National Awards amidst counter-protest

Kundan Shah, Arundhati Roy and Saeed Mirza were among 24 artistes to return their National Awards in support of protesting FTII students and against the growing environment of intolerance in the country. However, Union minister M. Venkaiah Naidu countered the gesture by saying that India is a land of diverse beliefs, faiths and practices and we need to live acknowledging such diversity, and released a booklet titled “Know the Truth”, on the ideological intolerance of those returning awards.

A group of writers, academicians and artistes also came out in support of the Modi government and dismissed the protests as “much ado” about the declining clout of a “pampered section” which was now targeting the PM. The movement was kick-started by writers who gave back their Sahitya Akademi awards to protest against the growing disregard for freedom of speech and the murder of three intellectuals. Soon scientists and many other filmmakers, including Bollywood director Dibakar Banerjee and documentary maker Anand Patwardhan, joined the growing chorus.

Shah, an FTII alumnus, said giving up his only National Award, which he received for cult film Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, was a very sad but necessary decision to protest against the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as FTIII chairman.

“This is the only National Award I have for Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro and I feel very sad to part with it. I owe this award to my alma mater FTII, there would’ve been no JBDY if I had not studied at FTII,” Shah said.