HC rejects 'Aadimadhyantham' plea again

KOCHI: Amid controversies regarding selection of films for the 16th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), the Kerala High Court again declined to interfere with the selection process, turning down an appeal by the producer of the film 'Aadimadhyantham' against dropping the film from the screening list. While the latest ruling is of a division bench, a single judge had dismissed the producer's petition on Saturday.
The division bench of acting Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice P R Ramachandra Menon upheld the finding of the single judge that the film was incomplete when submitted for selection to the IFFK. The annual film festival is scheduled to be held this year from December 9 to 16 in Thiruvananthapuram.
The film by debutant director Sherry was shown the door by Chalachithra Academy chairman Priyadarshan using the special discretionary power vested on him. This was after allegations that the crew submitted an incomplete film before the selection committee. The movie tells the story of a four-year-old boy's fears about death, and his loneliness.
After the single judge dismissed the petition by the film's producer P A Rasheed, he approached the division bench for relief. However, the division bench didn't find fault with the single judge's ruling that the film was submitted without title and subtitles, which itself are reasons for dropping the film from the screening list.
The film was initially admitted on the basis of an affidavit filed by the director that the shortcomings would be solved within September 30, the court said. It was originally scheduled to be screened at the international competition section at the IFFK.
A total of 11 films are scheduled to be screened for IFFK 2011 in the international competition section. Even though two Malayalam films, 'Aadimadhyantham' and 'Adaminte Makan Abu', were in the list first, both the films are now out of the screening schedule.
Following the ouster of 'Aadimadhyantham', the selection committee also announced the removal of 'Adaminte Makan Abu' from the film festival on technical grounds. 'Adaminte Makan Abu' was rejected on the basis of a bylaw of IFFK that films already screened in other Indian film festivals were not eligible for entry into the competition section.
Meanwhile, Chalachitra Academy chairman Priyadarshan told the media on Wednesday that the two films were disqualified on the basis of the rules of the academy. Referring to 'Aadimadhyantham', the chairman said the current rules prevented admission of films that were in the process of shooting.