Not my victory, it is the victory of cinema: Sanal K Sasidharan on Kerala HC order

The Kerala high court has allowed the screening of Sanal Kumar Sasidharan’s film S Durga at the ongoing International Film Festival of India (IFFI). The filmmaker had filed a petition challenging the decision of the information & broadcasting ministry to exclude his film from the festival despite it being selected by the jury for the Indian Panorama section.

In an exclusive conversation with Cinestaan.com over the phone, the visibly happy filmmaker reacted to the order, saying, “This is not my victory, it is the victory of cinema”. He also elaborated that his was a larger fight, “I am fighting for freedom of expression, democracy and for the country to move forwards and not go backwards in its thinking,” he said.

When asked about what the next step would be, he said, “They [IFFI] are bound to screen the film as it had been rejected without any reason.”

The filmmaker is currently in Australia attending the Asia Pacific awards where he has been nominated for the Best Director award. Speaking about whether he would attend IFFI during the screening of his film, he said, “It doesn’t matter whether I am there or not. After a film is made, the filmmaker is dead.”

Sanal wishes that the people who opposed his film to watch it, “I request those who objected to my film to come to the cinemas and watch my film. I am not making films for awards or intellectuals to watch, but making films for them to watch it, discuss it and engage with it,” he said.