'JUST DON'T': ALI FAZAL SLAMS FTII FOR LAUDING PAYAL KAPADIA'S ICONIC WIN AT CANNES 2024 AMID PROTEST CASE
India has been beaming with pride after Payal Kapadia won the Grand Prix award at the 77th International Film Festival, on May 25, as the gala witnessed its last day of the year. Congratulatory messages have been pouring in for Payal and the film's team ever since the award announcement was made on social media. Now, Bollywood star Ali Fazal has slammed the Film & Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune for its blatant hypocrisy in celebrating its alumna Payal Kapadia's historic Grand Prix victory.
FTII Lauds Payal Kapadia's Iconic Cannes Win
On Sunday, the official X handle of FTII on Sunday shared a couple of pictures from the Cannes Film Festival, of its alumni members Payal and Chidanand Naik (who won the La Cinef Award for Best Short for her film Sunflowers Were The First Ones To Know).
They captioned the post, “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 77th Cannes Film Festival, FTII cherishes the glorious achievements of its Alumni at this Mega International Stage of Cinema.”
Ali Fazal Slams FTII For Their Post
Reposting FTII's message with the following caption, Ali Fazal wrote on Instagram, “Uhhh… please don’t. Just dont.” Disciplinary action was taken against Payal back in 2015 for organising a student demonstration against the election of actor-turned-politician Gajendra Chauhan to the position of FTII president. They contended that he lacked the authority to lead an elite organisation such as FTII.
Chargesheet Was Filed Against Payal Kapadia
Pune Police also filed a chargesheet against 35 students, including Payal, for allegedly kidnapping Prashant Pathrabe, the then-director of FTII, in his office following his choice to evaluate unfinished projects submitted by students from the 2008 batch. Scholarships were also denied to Payal and other students. But a few years later, in 2017, Bhupendra Kainthola, the new director of FTII, made a course correction, wrote a letter of support, and paid for Payal's travel expenses to Cannes to see her short film Afternoon Clouds.ALSO READ: Ali Fazal and Fatima Sana Shaikh’s First Look From Metro In Dino Sets Leaked
Payal Kapadia Creates History
With her directing debut film All We Imagine As Light, Payal has now become the first Indian director to win the Grand Prix. Payal accepted the award last night along with actors Chhaya Kadam, Divya Prabha and Kani Kusruti. In her acceptance speech, Payal made a special request to Cannes.
As reported by Indian Express, she said, “I’m very nervous, so I wrote something down. Thank you to the Cannes Film Festival for having our film here. Please don’t wait 30 years to have another Indian film. This film is about friendship between 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."
2024-05-26T13:40:16Z dg43tfdfdgfd