Thiruvananthapuram: The court should have exempted films festivals from its ruling regarding national anthem on the grounds of practicability, Dr Biju, director of Kaadu Pookkunna Neram, said here on Thursday.
"Most of the shows at the IFFK run with full capacity. There will be people sitting on the floor and steps. Theaters are completely packed 30 to 40 minutes prior to the shows. In such a situation, it's not easy for the audience to stand up and sit," he said.
"It's fascism in the guise of patriotism. Nationalism can't be imposed on citizens by law,” he added.
The Supreme Court, while hearing a petition filed by Kodungallur Film Society, had ruled that national anthem must be played before every show at the IFFK, which began on last Friday.
On Monday, the city police arrested 11 people who remained seated when the national anthem was played at the Nishagandhi theater. Later, they were released on bail.
On Wednesday, Yuvamorcha workers held protest in front of Chalachitra Academy chairman Kamal's house and, later in the evening, marched to Kalabhavan theater shouting slogans against Kamal and those opposing the court order.
While speaking about his movie Kaadu Pookkunna Neram, he said, “'When the movie was shot earlier this year, we hadn’t heard of any encounter killing in Kerala. Now, we have.”