Panaji: The call for justice to Malayalam film S Durga, which the Kerala High Court said should be screened at the ongoing International Film Festival of India (IFFI 2017), got louder on Thursday as actress Rajshri Deshpande urged the festival organizers to break their silence on the issue.
Addressing the media on the sidelines of the IFFI here, Rajshri said the reluctance of both the IFFI organizers and the I&B ministry to speak up was frustrating.
"I'm Durga. I'm playing Durga in the film. This is my story. This is every woman's story. There's nothing that hurts anyone's religious sentiments. Please watch the film and then decide," a visibly angry Rajshri said, expressing hope that the film would be screened.
Hailing the court verdict overruling the I&B ministry's decision to drop the film from the Indian Panorama section, the actress said they deserved to be screened at the film festival.
Rajshri Deshpande speaks to the media on the slidelines of IFFI 2017 in Panaji, Goa, on Thursday. Her co-actor in 'S Durga' Kannan Nair looks on. Photo: Ragesh"Film festivals are venues where people are supposed to discuss films. Unfortunately we are discussing controversies," she said.
She was flanked by her co-actors Kannan Nair and Arun Sol. Asked if the reluctance of the the IFFI organizers to react to the court order was an extension of the atmosphere of intolerance in the country, Kannan said, "yes".
