Adoor Gopalakrishnan slams National Awards, says 'worst films' being honoured

Thiruvanananthapuram: Veteran filmmaker and Dadasaheb Phalke awardee Adoor Gopalakrishnan on Sunday criticised recent National Film Awards, alleging that substandard films have been receiving top honours for some time.

"If the quality of the jury is poor, it will select bad films for recognition," he told reporters here.

Gopalakrishnan added that if the situation continues, it would be better to stop the system of giving National Awards for films altogether.

"For some time now, the worst films of the year have been getting the National Awards. It needs to be investigated how this is happening," the veteran said.

He said the objective of instituting the National Awards was to recognise and promote quality cinema, but now the exact opposite appears to be happening.

Alleging that jury incompetence was a key reason for what he termed the selection of substandard films, Gopalakrishnan added that a qualified jury would ensure the right films are honoured.