COCHIN, KERALA, Oct 23, 2015 (Hindu Human Rights): The 20th International Film Festival of Kerala being staged in Kerala has placed a ban on Sanskrit movie, Priyamanasam. According to reports, the movie that was shortlisted was later omitted to suit the conveniences of certain individual interests and because the movie “showcased Hindu deities.” Priyamanasam is the third-ever Sanskrit full length movie in this world. Confirming the fact that ‘Secular’ Kerala Chalachithra Academy has no plans to support and encourage movies with a different and progressive feel attached with it, the state body has rejected the movie. It is known that the Marxists, Christians and Islamists, all now opposing Priyamanasam for its Sanskrit and Hindu fervor.
Heartbroken upon the rejection by the Academy, director of Priyamanasam, Vinod Mankara is soliciting support from genuine movie lovers to join him in his struggle to get the go ahead for the movie. It is after a long span of 35 year that a fully Sanskritized movie has been directed. Mankara says besides his love for Sanskrit, an intense desire to do something to revive the almost dead language made him think on the lines of directing a movie in Sanskrit. Adi Shankaracharya (1983) and Bhagavad Gita (1993), directed by Iyer, are the only movies ever made in Sanskrit. Both films had bagged National Awards in the respective years.
At a time when the Sanskrit movie has received invitation for being screened in European lands and the US, the step-motherly treatment on home turf is a demotivating and disappointing episode. The American Cultural Department has also declared financial aid for the movie’s cultural enhancement.