Bengaluru, Jan 30 (.) Actor Prakash Raj on Friday alleged that political interference had begun creeping into the Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFF), accusing the Centre of preventing the screening of Palestinian films and urging the Karnataka government to take a firm stand on the issue.
Speaking at the 17th edition of BIFF, Prakash Raj said he had inaugurated the festival around 16 years ago and expressed concern over what he described as growing restrictions on artistic expression.
“Recently, politics has started entering the Bengaluru Film Festival. The Central Government is not allowing the screening of Palestinian films. The State Government should pay attention to this issue,” he said.
Questioning the rationale behind such curbs, the actor asked how stories from different parts of the world could be selectively barred. “If we say we will not allow stories from other lands to be brought here, how is that possible?” he said, drawing a comparison with Kerala, where, according to him, resistance was shown and the films were screened despite opposition.
Prakash Raj called for similar protests in Karnataka, asserting that cultural spaces must remain free from political pressure. “The same kind of protest should happen here as well. I express my protest by reading a poem about the pain of the Palestinian people. Our state should show firmness against this decision,” he added.
Reacting sharply to the actor’s remarks, BJP leader Y Bharath Shetty accused Prakash Raj and others of pushing a political agenda under the guise of art and cinema.
“They are doing propaganda and have a particular agenda behind all this. India is a very liberal country, but there are several checks and balances that the government has to follow,” Shetty said.
He further stated that films with what he termed as “propaganda content” should not be allowed to be screened in Karnataka. “I don’t think such propaganda movies should be released in Karnataka. Prakash Raj has a different agenda behind it,” the BJP leader added.
The exchange has added a political edge to the ongoing film festival, with the debate over artistic freedom and government regulation once again coming to the fore.
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