Adoor-Mammootty film out. Dhurandhar in: Indian Panorama line-up draws questions

The 57th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) appears to have acquired a distinctly ideological flavour, with titles such as Ramayana, Krishnavataram Part 1: The Heart, and Hanuman Ansh featuring alongside Dhurandhar and The Kerala Story 2 — films criticised by many as 'propaganda'. In a striking contrast, the festival has omitted Padayatra, the latest work by internationally acclaimed filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan, starring Mammootty.

Padayatra, directed by the octogenarian filmmaker, marks his reunion with Mammootty after more than three decades. Their earlier collaborations, Mathilukal and Vidheyan, remain landmarks of Indian cinema. Set in 1970s and 1980s Kerala and produced by Mammootty Kampany, the new film features the actor as a Gandhian doctor who moves to the forests of Wayanad to work among marginalised communities.

Gopalakrishnan, whose works have garnered extensive national and international acclaim, said the exclusion came as no surprise.

"Good films have not been making it to the International Film Festival of India for quite some time. The Central Government is not interested in films with artistic merit; it wants propaganda," he told the Malayalam media. "I have no regrets about my film not being selected, nor am I surprised by the decision. I expected this. Rubbish films are being given awards. I have the same expectations when the National Film Awards are announced."

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A break from tradition

The omission is particularly noteworthy given Gopalakrishnan’s long association with the Indian Panorama and his standing in world cinema. A five-time National Film Award winner for Best Director, he has also won two National Awards for Best Feature Film and two for Best Screenplay, alongside six consecutive FIPRESCI prizes. His international honours include the British Film Institute Award for Elippathayam, the UNICEF Film Prize at Venice for Mathilukal, and accolades at Amiens and Mannheim. He was conferred the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2005 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2006.

Several of his films have previously anchored the Indian Panorama, including Mathilukal (1990), Vidheyan (1994), and Naalu Pennungal (2007), making this exclusion a sharp departure from the recognition his work has traditionally received.

However, this is not the first time an Adoor film has missed the cut. In 2016, Pinneyum, starring Dileep and Kavya Madhavan, was left out, prompting criticism from both Gopalakrishnan and filmmaker Buddhadeb Dasgupta, whose film Tope was also rejected. That snub came a year after Gopalakrishnan joined prominent figures — including Amol Palekar and Kiran Rao — in publicly opposing the government's controversial appointment of actor Gajendra Chauhan as chairman of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), a move that sparked widespread protests over the alleged saffronisation of cultural institutions.

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Industry voices weigh in

Internationally acclaimed filmmaker Dr Biju noted that the festival's ideological shift has been evident for years, though he cautioned against questioning every jury decision.

"It's been like this for years now. The Hindutva project is evident, and all this is expected. Look at the selection jury — apart from Madhur Bhandarkar, is there anyone who is a known face?" he said. "However, we cannot find fault with every film that gets rejected. After all, it is the jury's decision."

Dr Biju also pointed out that Padayatra has not featured at any major international festival this year apart from the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK). He added that IFFI’s selection guidelines reserve a quota of five slots for commercial cinema, which may account for the inclusion of several mainstream titles.

"There is a provision for five commercial films to be selected. Dhurandhar and films of that kind might have got in through that slot," he explained.

Also read: Why controversy over AR Rahman’s Ramayana track is at odds with India’s tradition of cultural exchange

Scrutiny over selection priorities

Scheduled to be held in Goa from November 20 to 28, the 57th edition of IFFI will open its Indian Panorama section — headed this year by a feature jury led by Madhur Bhandarkar — with Dhurandhar. Ramayana will screen under a special BRICS focus, while The Kerala Story 2 is also among the high-profile entries.

Although the complete official roster has yet to be published, media reports indicate that Krishnavataram Part 1: The Heart and Hanuman Ansh have been selected alongside The Great Grand Superhero – Aliens Ka Aagman and Ohh My Dog. Malayalam cinema is represented in the Indian Panorama by Akhil Sathyan's Sarvam Maya, while Otta Njaval Maram and Ajayante Maranam: Oru Case Study feature in the New Horizons section.

Established to showcase regional and linguistic diversity across feature and non-feature formats, the Indian Panorama has historically sought to balance artistic cinema with mainstream appeal. Yet the absence of a new work by a director of Gopalakrishnan's stature has once again placed the festival’s curatorial priorities under scrutiny. For the veteran filmmaker, the snub reinforces a broader concern: the steady marginalisation of artistic cinema at India's premier film festival.