Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 16
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday termed as “most unfortunate” the controversy over the Union government’s refusal to grant clearance to 19 films scheduled for screening at the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), warning that the episode could embarrass India before the global film community.

IFFK, a flagship cultural event of Kerala now in its 30th year, is regarded as the country’s most popular film festival after the International Film Festival of India (IFFI).

In a strongly worded statement, Tharoor said the original list of films denied clearance was far longer, but several titles were subsequently approved following his intervention with Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

Tharoor sharply criticised the reasoning behind the denial, calling it reflective of an “extraordinary degree of cinematic illiteracy” within the bureaucracy. He pointed out that even internationally acclaimed classics had been denied permission, citing Battleship Potemkin -- the 1928 Soviet-era film on the Russian Revolution -- as a striking example.

The film, Tharoor noted, has been viewed by hundreds of millions of people worldwide, including in India, over nearly a century, making the denial “laughable”. The Thiruvananthapuram MP also took exception to the refusal to clear certain Palestinian films, arguing that such decisions appeared to stem from bureaucratic over-cautiousness rather than any balanced cultural or artistic assessment.

World cinema, he said, demands a breadth of vision and intellectual openness that should transcend political anxieties, especially at an internationally recognised festival like IFFK. Emphasising Kerala’s long-standing reputation as a hub of serious cinema appreciation, Tharoor warned that continued delays or refusals could damage the festival’s credibility.

He said the protests and cancellations sparked by the issue had already drawn unwelcome attention, detracting from the artistic focus of the event.

Tharoor said he had urged both Minister Vaishnaw and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to grant expeditious clearance to the remaining films, calling upon the Centre to act swiftly to prevent “further embarrassment” in the eyes of Kerala’s cinema lovers and the international film fraternity.

Tharoor slams film clearance row, urges Centre to lift ban on IFFK screenings