'Why Gujarat?': Rahul Dholakia on National Film Awards's venue change
What's the story
Filmmaker Rahul Dholakia has questioned the decision to hold the 72nd National Film Awards in Kevadia, Gujarat. The awards ceremony will be held here on September 22, marking a departure from its traditional location in Delhi. "I have no particular love lost for Delhi hosting the National Film Awards, but I question the shift to Gujarat. Why Gujarat?" he asked on X (formerly Twitter).
Alternative suggestions
'Why not honour a state that has contributed to cinema?'
Dholakia, who won the National Award for Best Director for his 2007 film Parzania, suggested that if the government wanted to move the awards to another part of India, it should have been a state or city with a stronger connection to cinema.
"When you are breaking the tradition of presenting the award in another city/state, then why not give that honor to a state that has contributed to cinema?" he wrote.
Cinematic connection
Dholakia's films were set in Gujarat
Some of Dholakia's films, Parzania and Raees, were set in Gujarat.
While Parzania was based on the 2002 Gujarat riots, Raees was about the rise of a bootlegger in the state.
However, Ahmedabad is Gujarat's biggest film hub, not Kevadia.
Venue symbolism
Which state has 1 of India's biggest filmmaking centers?
The choice of Kevadia as the venue for the National Film Awards has sparked a debate about its symbolic significance. Dholakia's comments highlight this larger question.
Maharashtra, with Mumbai as the center of Hindi cinema and Pune as an important hub for Marathi and parallel cinema, has been one of India's biggest filmmaking centers.
Kerala is pivotal to Malayalam cinema's growth, while Chennai is at the heart of Tamil filmmaking.
West Bengal and its Tollywood have been historically pivotal, too.
Venue change
Move to Kevadia gives ceremony a different backdrop
The move to Kevadia also gives the ceremony a distinctly different backdrop. The city is home to the Statue of Unity, a 597-foot monument dedicated to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
Unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018, it is touted as the world's tallest statue.
This year, President Droupadi Murmu will present the awards at this new venue on September 22.