A file photo of Rishi Kapoor.
New Delhi:
The decision of a motley group of 10 filmmakers to return their National Awards as a form of protest has fractured opinion across the country and its film industry. 'Awardwapsi' has turned into a fierce debate on 'intolerance' - we've heard from a Khan, now let's hear from a Kapoor.
Rishi Kapoor, 63, used his chosen method of communication, Twitter, to announce that he had no award to return because his work has gone overlooked by successive governments, and he wouldn't return an award if he had one. Mr Kapoor does indeed have a National Award, having won Best Child Artiste for
Mera Naam Joker in 1970, but he credits it to his father Raj Kapoor, who starred in and directed the film. He also made a typically Rishi Kapoor pronouncement on 'intolerance.'
On Monday, actor Shah Rukh Khan told NDTV that he thought it was "really brave" of the filmmakers who returned their awards but that he himself would choose another form of protest like a strike or march. His sentiments have been echoed by Tamil star Kamal Haasan, winner of four National Awards, and actress Vidya Balan, who won the Best Actress National Award for
The Dirty Picture. (Also Read:
Shah Rukh Khan: Religious Intolerance Will Take us to Dark Ages)
Last week, 10 filmmakers including Dibakar Banerjee and Anand Patwardhan announced they were returning their awards to protest against "the threat to diversity and freedom of speech." They were strongly criticized on Twitter by actor Anupam Kher, whose wife Kirron is a BJP MP. (Also Read:
10 Filmmakers Return National Awards, Say 'Disenchanted With What's Happening in Country')