SHASHI THAROOR, a parliamentarian of India's opposition Indian National Congress, on Tuesday (28) took a swipe at prime minister Narendra Modi after the latter hailed Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia for winning the Grand Prix award at the Cannes Film Festival, asking if India is proud of her, shouldn't his government immediately withdraw the "cases" against her and fellow students of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in the city of Pune.
Last week, Kapadia became the first filmmaker from the south Asian nation to win the Grand Prix award, the second highest honour at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, for her 2024 Malayalam-Hindi feature film All We Imagine As Light.
Following the win, Modi had said the country is proud of her.
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In 2015, Kapadia was one of the protesting students who went on strike to oppose actor-politician Gajendra Chauhan's appointment as the chairperson of the FTII. Chauhan is a member of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, which is led by Modi.
In a post on X, Tharoor said, "Modi ji, if India is proud of her, should your government not immediately #WithdrawTheCases against her and fellow FTII students protesting against your government's arbitrary appointment of an unqualified Chairman?"
Read: Priyanka Chopra hails India's film feats at Cannes 2024
Tharoor's remarks came in response to Modi's post on X on May 26 in which he wrote, "India is proud of Payal Kapadia for her historic feat of winning the Grand Prix at the 77th Cannes Film Festival for her work 'All We Imagine as Light'. An alumnus of FTII, her remarkable talent continues to shine on the global stage, giving a glimpse of the rich creativity in India. This prestigious accolade not only honours her exceptional skills but also inspires a new generation of Indian filmmakers."
According to protesting students in 2015, Chauhan did not match the vision and stature of past chairmen of the FTII governing council, and his appointment appeared "politically coloured".
During a 139-day strike, the students had also allegedly confined the then FTII director Prashant Pathrabe in his office over some academic issues. This had led to the police entering the campus and arresting some of the protesters.
Chauhan also extended congratulations to Kapadia, saying he is proud of her who studied at the institute when he served as its chairman, Press Trust of India reported.
(With PTI inputs)
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