M S Sathyu backs Arun Jaitley on intolerance issue

BENGALURU: Filmmaker and acknowledged Leftist M S Sathyu has backed union finance minister Arun Jaitley’s stand that the returning of awards over intolerance by cultural figures and the intelligensia across the country is “manufactured dissent” with political intent. He asked why the several top award winners have not responded the same way.

Sathyu’s “Garam Hawa” is considered one of the finest films on Partition and its aftermath. He told ET that the award wapsi by over 60 cultural figures and a top scientist is “a political orchestration.” “It is very obvious it is orchestrated. Otherwise it can’t happen with this huge number of people doing it,” he said, adding: “There have been many incidents in India. At that time nobody returned their awards. If they really want freedom of expression, they should say that there shouldn’t be any censorship of theatre, cinema.”

Sathyu said the matter was an issue to be dealt with by the Home Ministry. “ If you have elected a certain government, it will have its own agenda and that is a communal agenda”, he contended.