New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday (May 28, 2024) took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi to withdraw cases against award-winning director Payal Kapadia. The hailed filmmaker was honoured with the Grand Prix award at the Cannes Film Festival 2024.
The 68-year-old leader, through social media, asked if India is proud of Payal, shouldn’t the government immediately take back the cases against her and fellow FTII students. His X post has now gone viral on The Internet and it is garnering all kinds of reactions from netizens.
Modi ji, if India is proud of her, should your government not immediately #WithdrawTheCases against her and fellow FTII students protesting against your government’s arbitrary appointment of an unqualified Chairman? https://t.co/BmZNifLLj9 pic.twitter.com/psZMwSADnn
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) May 28, 2024
For the unversed, Payal recently became the first Indian filmmaker to win the Grand Prix award. It was the second highest honour at the prestigious 77th Cannes Film Festival. She was awarded for her Malayalam-Hindi feature film All We Imagine As Light.
What is Payal Kapadia case?
It is to be noted that Payal reportedly led the protest against actor-politician Gajendra Chauhan’s appointment as the chairperson of the Pune-based Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) back in the years 2015. The students had also allegedly gheraoed and confined the then FTII director Prashant Pathrabe in his office during the historic 139-day protest over some academic issues.
As a result of the strike and protest, the police entered the campus and made a few arrests. It is said that Payal, along with other students, were booked under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 143, 147, 149, 323, 353 and 506. Some of these offences are said to be non-bailable.
Payal Kapadia recently made India proud by winning the Grand Prix award at the 77th Cannes Film Festival for her Malayalam-Hindi feature film All We Imagine As Light. Her achievement on the global stage has reignited discussions around the FTII controversy. Celebrity Entertainment News: Latest Bollywood, Hollywood News, South Cinema, Celebrity Gossip Today, Latest Movie News
