The Hindu : Karnataka News : Pluralism is the unifying force, says Benegal

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Tuesday, Jan 18, 2005

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Pluralism is the unifying force, says Benegal

By Our Staff Correspondent

MANIPAL, JAN. 17. Shyam Benegal, filmmaker, on Monday said that pluralism was the unifying force in the country. He was delivering the 22nd T.A. Pai Memorial Lecture on "Secularism in Indian cinema'' to mark the Founder's Day celebrations of the T.A. Pai Management Institute (TAPMI) here.

Mr. Benegal said despite so many cultures, there was still a unifying force in the country. But in the recent years, the concept of the unifying force had been politicised, which was unnecessary. Indian culture was inclusive and tolerant. The concept of secularism had been politicised. In the 1950s, when the filmmaker, Satyajit Ray, won the Golden Globe Award at the Venice Film Festival, he had said that he was a Bengali filmmaker which upset Raj Kapoor, filmmaker from Bombay (Mumbai). Satyajit Ray then modified his statement, which still did not satisfy Raj Kapoor.

Films made in Hindi had acceptance in many States, while films made in vernacular languages had acceptance in those particular States. As regards identity, Indians knew who they were despite having multiple identities. In the post-Independence Hindi films, Muslims were given kid-glove treatment and were portrayed in benign light. By creating a special image for them, an identity was unwittingly given to them.

Balasubramanian welcomed the gathering. The Director of TAPMI, D. Nagabrahmam, gave the introductory remarks. The Chairman of the Governing Council of TAPMI, K.K. Pai, presided over the function.

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