Nithi Anand
The closing ceremony of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) turned unpleasant as delegates roundly booed the Chairperson of Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, Ranjith. This reaction was a spillover from earlier protests during the screening of the Mammootty starrer ‘Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam,’ where several delegates alleged that they could not attend due to passless viewers barging in. Despite this, the film ultimately won the ‘audience prize,’ Rajata Chakoram.
Ranjith retaliated during his address, stating that the protesters were merely upset about their lack of seats and questioning how many would actually pay to see the film in theatres. He also recounted his past experiences as a member of the SFI, the student’s wing of the CPM, and declared that he could not be defeated so easily, having started his long activist journey in 1977.
