As has develop into virtually a practice, the announcement of the National Film Awards was met with sharp criticism quickly after the winners have been introduced on August 24. The Kashmir Files, winner of the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration, was on the centre of the controversy. Opposition politicians referred to as the movie’s victory a “mockery of film awards”. A piece of filmmakers from the Southern a part of the nation felt Dalit-themed movies have been uncared for as a number of the most potent and well-liked movies, akin to Jai Bhim, Sarpatta Parambarai and Karnan, did not make the reduce.

The 2017 win of Akshay Kumar for his efficiency in Rustom had raised eyebrows, particularly when the contenders included Aamir Khan for Dangal. The jury president, Priyadarshan, who typically collaborated with Kumar, defended his alternative, saying, “Why should we have given the Best Actor award to Aamir Khan when he has made it very clear that he doesn’t attend awards functions? … Nowadays, we have seen people returning their awards. We didn’t want to take that risk.” A few years later, Akshay Kumar hosted the well-known interview with Prime Minister Modi through which, amongst different issues, the nationwide fruit was mentioned.

Akshay Kumar in Rustom

In 2004, Saif Ali Khan’s win for Best Actor got here beneath criticism as his mom, Sharmila Tagore, headed the Central Board of Film Certification, which works beneath the identical ministry that offers away the awards. In 2002, Ajay Devgn’s award for Best Actor created an argument because the jury was headed by Prakash Jha who was directing Devgn in his movie Gangaajal the yr the awards have been introduced.

The jury chair of the 67th National Awards, Vipul Amrutlal Shah, went on to provide The Kerala Story, which, going by the instance of The Kashmir Files, may very well be a contender for the Nargis Dutt Award for National Integration subsequent yr.    

Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukerji in Hum Tum

Why are our National Awards inclined to serving the federal government’s ideology? While the jury selects the winners, who chooses the jury members? The reply is the Information and Broadcasting Ministry by way of the Directorate of Film Festivals. By exercising full management over the selection of jury members, the federal government holds undue and unilateral energy over the awards.

While any award within the area of arts cannot declare to be utterly goal, a sure extent of transparency is predicted from the National Awards, which is maybe the one movie award on this planet given by a head of a state. The world has seen the current instance of the Golden Globes, the second-biggest movie award within the US, which fell from grace as a result of it did not sustain with the time and refused to be inclusive and consultant of various voices.  

Looking on the trajectory that the National Film Awards has taken, one would possibly ask, ought to the federal government be even giving nationwide awards? Doesn’t the thought of government-sponsored awards really feel like an instrument to patronise filmmakers? What entitles the state to develop into the arbitrator of arts? And, if the state is to resolve the very best movie of the yr, can one count on a film to win the honour if it critiques the state? Isn’t artwork alleged to favour reality quite than energy? And is not the autonomy of the artists a prerequisite to impartial artwork?

The National Film Awards have been instituted on the advice of the Film Enquiry Committee constituted in 1949. It was headed by a Mumbai Congress chief and had distinguished filmmakers V Shantaram and B. N Sircar amongst its members.

The committee thought of varied questions, akin to whether or not the movie business ought to be nationalised. The committee vehemently rejected the thought of nationalisation, “The regimentation of ideas and art would make beauty subservient to the rule of thumb, culture submissive to the will of authority and entertainment subordinate to the philosophy of the state.”

While the committee rejected the thought of nationalisation of the movie business, it additionally rejected the thought of giving it full freedom with out explaining any motive, “We would reject this method of approach without further argument and content ourselves with saying that virtue lies in owning rather than concealing one’s own faults and shortcomings.”

The authorities selected to manage cinema with a stick and a carrot. The stick is the censor board, which might deny certification to a movie, making it unfit for theatrical launch or punish it by giving an “A” certificates, trimming its enterprise potential considerably. It’s price a be aware {that a} filmmaker cannot apply for the nationwide awards with no censor certificates. The carrot is the award it might probably bestow upon movies that align with its ideology by fixing a compliant jury.

Why does the federal government get a lot energy over the movie enterprise? Why would not the business have a say within the affairs of censors or awards? Why aren’t movies handled at par with literature or wonderful arts and are left for the professionals or practitioners to resolve the awards? Why the federal government instantly appoints jury members by way of its ministry to decide on the winners?

While the federal government listened to the committee’s suggestion by organising the awards, it ignored the half that requested for a consultant mechanism to manage the movie business. The committee gave its suggestions in 1951, which referred to as for establishing a Film Council comprising movie producers, administrators, artists, technicians, distributors, exhibitors, educationists, and staff. Council wasn’t to be headed by a bureaucrat however “a person of high judicial status and commanding an eminent public position and possessing a depth of cultural background.”

Instead of organising the really useful council to supervise the award, amongst different issues, the federal government arrange the Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF) in 1973, a physique comprising of presidency servants working beneath the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

The thought of presidency instantly regulating the business was not solely not really useful by the committee, however it was really useful in opposition to, “…we feel that it is through such an institution [Film Council] rather than through its own agency or intervention that the Central and State Governments can succeed in making films the real and effective instruments of arts, culture and healthy entertainment.”

Interestingly, the federal government listened to the committee’s many options and arrange movie colleges, movie festivals and nationwide awards, however it selectively ignored the a part of giving a good illustration to filmmakers within the course of. Instead, the federal government selected to train uninhibited management over the awards. The system labored properly till the federal government and the distinguished filmmakers have been ideologically aligned. Our cinema celebrated Nehruvian socialism and beliefs of nation-building, and in flip, the federal government celebrated movies that did not problem its ideology. Nevertheless, the federal government all the time had the higher hand.

The similar system of patronage now not works anymore as the current day’s authorities desires to propagate a special ideology. It creates an avenue for a brand new set of filmmakers prepared to supply their craft for the trigger and obtain rewards and awards.

Ridiculing the winners, calling out the jury’s incompetence, and even terming them sell-outs would possibly generate noise on social media, however till the systemic flaws of the National Film Awards are addressed, these awards are designed to reward those that align with the federal government’s ideology, or a minimum of, not problem it. Hence, it is time to return to the suggestions and make the awards extra consultant, clear, and inclusive.  

Since the operate of any award is to accord credibility to the work, the National Film Awards are certain to fail within the endeavour in the event that they lack credibility themselves. The questionable alternative of awards requires reform and gives a chance to begin a dialogue on the autonomy of the movie business.

(Bikas Mishra is an award-winning writer-director based mostly in Mumbai)

Disclaimer: These are the non-public opinions of the creator.