 "Protest against FTII to Grand Prix win at Cannes: The rise of filmmaker Payal Kapadia")
Filmmaker Payal Kapadia has become the talk of the town recently.
The 38-year-old is receiving love from across the country for scripting history at the 77th Cannes Film Festival with her debut feature film, All We Imagine as Light.
At the gala, which concluded on Saturday, Kapadia won the Grand Prix Award, becoming the first Indian to bag the honour.
Notably, the film was the first Indian movie in 30 years to compete in the competition, since Shaji N Karun’s Swaham (1994).
However, as with independent filmmaking in India, veteran artist Nalini Malani’s daughter Kapadia’s path to glory wasn’t always smooth.
As a student, she received no institutional support from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) and faced disciplinary action and an FIR against her.
Here’s all we know about it.
The protest
In 2015, Kapadia was at the forefront of protest against appointing actor-turned-politician Gajendra Chauhan as the institute’s chairperson.
It was the longest protest (139 days) in the institution’s history, which has witnessed numerous student agitations.
According to the protesting students, the Mahabharata actor did not match the vision and stature of past chairmen of the FTII governing council, and his appointment appeared “politically coloured."
Despite being one of her batch’s outstanding students, Kapadia was denied the chance to participate in a foreign exchange programme and a scholarship for Rs 22,000, as per The Times of India.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsIn the August 2015 incident, the then-institute director, Prashant Pathrabe, was reportedly forcibly detained after he notified the 2008 batch to vacate the hostel on the grounds of overstaying. They approved an assessment order for their largely unfinished film projects. The students, labelling it as “irrational and unjustified,” rushed to his office seeking clarification.
This also led to the police entering the campus and arresting some of the protesters.
Kapadia is one of 35 students booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections, including 143, 147, 149, 323, 353 and 506, dealing with offences, some of them non-bailable, related to unlawful assembly, criminal intimidation and rioting.
The case, in which the chargesheet was filed in 2016, is currently being reviewed by the Pune magistrate and remains unresolved. The defence lawyer, representing the students, said the next court hearing is scheduled for 26 June.
Later in 2017, when her 13-minute film Afternoon Clouds was chosen for the Cannes Film Festival, FTII decided to support her.
Subsequently, FTII director Bhupendra Kainthola stated that they chose to back her after witnessing “Kapadia being disciplined” on campus.
“Our decision to support students or deny them scholarship previously was based on how their conduct has been on the campus. Few days after the protest got over, many students came to me and said they never realised that their past actions will haunt them through their life. Some of them even cried and regretted their actions,” he told Hindustan Times.
These protests served as the inspiration for several student-produced independent films, including the absurdist satire Eeb Allay Ooo! (2019) by Prateek Vats and the Cannes Loeil d’Or-winning documentary A Night of Knowing Nothing (2021) by Kapadia.
FTII claims a piece of the pie
Although the production of Kapadia is a French tale, FTII and India are currently vying for a cut of the Cannes winning.
“It is a moment of pride for FTII as its Alumni create history at Cannes. As we witness a phenomenal year for Indian Cinema at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, FTII cherishes the glorious achievements of its Alumni at this Mega International Stage of Cinema,” FTII said in a post on X.
“We congratulate Payal Kapadia for winning the Grand Prix Award, Santosh Sivan for receiving the Pierre Angénieux Tribute Award, Maisam Ali for his debut at ACID & Chidanand S Naik for winning La Cinef. Their achievements are taking Indian Cinema to greater heights,” the institute added.
It is a moment of pride for FTII as its Alumni create history at Cannes.
— FTII (@FTIIOfficial) May 26, 2024
As we witness a phenomenal year for Indian Cinema at 77th Cannes Film Festival, FTII cherishes the glorious achievements of its Alumni at this Mega International Stage of Cinema.#cannes2024 #cannesawards pic.twitter.com/3fFURhzuSK
Actor Ali Fazal was quick to call out the institute’s hypocrisy by saying, “Uhhh… please don’t. Just don’t.”
Uhhh… please don’t. Just dont. https://t.co/UcBzjUp4GO
— Ali Fazal M / میر علی فضل / अली (@alifazal9) May 26, 2024
FTII criticised
Oscar-winning Indian sound designer Resul Pookutty in his post on social media said the mainstream Indian film industry has nothing to do with this glory and they “only looked at us as outcasts”. The only reason they won is also not because “we had inspiring teachers, there were some but not all”, he said.
He added, “Payal (Accused No.25) comes back from Cannes and next month, will have to go for her court case hearing that FTII lodged against her for striking against the appointment of Chouhan as the Chairperson! Interesting isn’t it?!” Ameya Gore, one of the 35 students who were booked in the case, said that after the incident, the majority of the students faced issues with scholarships and obtaining passports.
Imagine - Gajendra Chauhan, a C-grade actor, best-known for soft porn and mythologicals, was arbitrarily appointed as #FTII Chairman by #Modi Govt, given the power to run FTII and play havoc with the creative talent the institute should have been nurturing instead!
— @rakeshfilm (Rakesh Sharma) (@rakeshfilm) May 26, 2024
Shameful.
👇🏼 pic.twitter.com/psKjq7oOrC
“The case is still ongoing in the Sessions Court, but there has been no progress from the prosecution’s side. The trial has not started yet. Hearings are generally scheduled every two to three months, but nothing happens because nobody from the prosecution shows up,” Gore said, as per PTI.
Advocate Chinmay Inamdar, who is defending the students, said the prosecution has filed the chargesheet but not submitted the video file in the form of CD/DVD or pen drive of the incident of the director being gheraoed in 2015.
“We have moved an application before the court to get a copy so that we can file a discharge application for the students and the matter is pending for this. The next hearing is scheduled to take place on June 26,” he said.
The need for public universities
When her documentary won at the Cannes Film Festival 2024, Payal Kapadia highlighted the need for public universities like FTII in a country like India.
She told the Indian Express, “We owe a lot to public education to make us the filmmakers we are… Universities are spaces of freedom. This is why we needed to make this film. As students who have been part of them, it is our responsibility to protect what they stand for so that the next generation can benefit.
Grand Prix winner All We Imagine as Light stars Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam, and Hridhu Haroon.
Shot by Kapadia’s FTII batchmate and partner cinematographer Ranbir Das, the film “is about friendship about three women and oftentimes women are pitted against each other. This is the way society is designed and it is very unfortunate. But for me friendship is a very important relationship because it can lead to greater solidarity, inclusivity, and empathy towards each other," Kapadia told the newspaper.
With inputs from PTI
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