Certainly, Adoor Gopalakrishnan was terribly wrong. It isn't proper to call his views "politically incorrect" because, in today’s discourse, the phrase has lost its original moral intent and become almost pejorative. Being politically correct often implies a superficial concern for appearances rather than an honest engagement with truth. By extension, someone labelled politically incorrect may simply be challenging the dominant—but not necessarily just—narrative. History has shown that many who were once dismissed as politically incorrect were later vindicated. But it’s unlikely Adoor’s controversial remarks will be redeemed by time.

No one would have faulted Adoor had he merely argued that all beneficiaries of public film funding—irrespective of background—must undergo adequate training. It is common sense that talent alone does not make a good filmmaker. However, the Kerala government’s film funding scheme is specifically designed to support women and individuals from the Scheduled Castes —an affirmative initiative aimed at correcting historical imbalances. Adoor's error was in repeatedly referring to these groups by their caste and gender identity, suggesting they alone required training. This conflates identity with incompetence and undermines the very rationale of affirmative action. His seemingly haughty comments against Pushpavathy, a popular singer who had protested while Adoor was making the controversial opinions, further complicated matters.

His other comment, that it was "labourers from the market" who rushed to watch nude scenes at film festivals, was no less troubling. It betrayed a condescending attitude steeped in class and caste prejudice. Taken together, such remarks risk painting the maestro as casteist, classist, and........

© Mathrubhumi English