The Vice President of India, Shri M Venkaiah today called upon film fraternity to curb the depiction of violence, vulgarity and obscenity in view of the huge impact films make on the masses, particularly the youngsters.

Speaking after giving away the 66th National Film Awards in Delhi today, the Vice President said that filmmakers should be conscious of the impact this powerful medium has on people. He urged them to use the powerful medium as an instrument of social change and educate people, promote social harmony and bring about an attitudinal change in society in combating various social ills.

“The focus should be on creating an artistic rendition of challenges and social ills and resolve the conflicts in a way that reinforces social cohesion and ethical principles”, he added.

Pointing to the huge influence cinema has on young, impressionable minds, Shri Naidu said that cinema can play a major role in promoting the right values. “We must convey a strong message to combat the current trend of violence against women”, he added while expressing his concern over the incidents of rape and violence against women in some parts of the country.

“All of us in society, particularly those from the film industry, must promote and depict women in a respectable manner”, Shri Naidu said.

“It is probably wrong to think that a message-oriented film would not be accepted by the audience. “ A film with a social message can be entertaining and commercially successful as well”, he emphasized and wanted the film industry to create awareness among the youngsters on the importance of healthy diet and physical fitness.

The Vice President urged every filmmaker to make a conscious effort to ensure that the depiction characters, dialogues and costumes reflect India’s cultures, customs, practices and traditions. “Cinema should also help in strengthening the family system and in promoting democratic governance”, he added.

Referring to the global popularity of Indian cinema, the Vice President said Indian films convey an important glimpse of ‘Indianness’ or ‘Bharatheeyatha’ to the outside world. “We need to be effective ambassadors in the world of cultural diplomacy”, he averred.

Calling for greater co-operation between the film fraternity and the government to devise ways to utilize the scenic endowments of India, the Vice President said: “While collectively striving for sustainable development, we can promote tourism sector and showcase India’s cultural diversity to the world”.

Congratulating all the award winners, Shri Naidu expressed the hope that the year 2020 would see an ever-increasing sense of artistic and creative fulfillment as Indian cinema continues its quest for greater heights of excellence.

The Vice President also congratulated Uttarakhand State for facilitating the ease of film making and winning the award for being the most film-friendly state.

Shri Prakash Javadekar, Hon’ble Minister of Information & Broadcasting, Environment, Forest and Climate Change & Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Shri Ravi Mittal, Secretary, Ministry of I & B, members and chairmen of the jury and award winners including actors Ms. Keerti Suresh, Shri Akshay Kumar, Shri Ayushman Khurrana, Shri Vicky Kaushal were present on the occasion.

 

The following is the full text of the speech:

The Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Chairpersons and Members of the Jury, Secretary, Information & Broadcasting, Distinguished friends from the film fraternity, sisters and brothers,

I deem it an honor to be here in the august presence of all of you on this special occasion of 66^th National Film Awards.

These prestigious awards reflect the richness and diversity of the Indian film industry.

I would like to convey my heartiest congratulations to Shri Amitabh Bachchan, the doyen of the Indian film industry, for being awarded the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award. I am sorry he could not be physically present with us for this ceremony because of indisposition. I hope he would bounce back to good health soon. It would be no exaggeration to say that Shri Bachchan is an institution by himself. For more than five decades, he has been enthralling the masses in India and abroad by essaying different roles from an angry young man to an ageing parent. 

Bachchan Ji continues to be a perennial source of inspiration to the entire Indian film industry.

I must thank our esteemed Jury for having collectively decided on the list of distinguished awardees. It must have been quite an intensive, immersive experience to watch more than 400 entries in the feature film category and 255 entries in the non-feature categories and select the most socially relevant and aesthetically deserving films.

I notice that the non-feature films deal with a wide range of subjects from female infanticide to the challenges faced by weavers. They tell stories of brave human trafficking survivors, about the ethics of adoption, films mapping the journey of fictional characters to real life heroes like G.D Naidu. 

The feature films this year are as much about emotions as they are about intelligence. We have gifted child artistes among us who have shown us infinite range of emotions. In the bouquet of films, we have films that break stereotypes and attack superstitions sensitively. We see through the maker’s imagination how orthodox traditions give way to modern solutions.

It also gives me great pleasure to know that the award for best feature film goes to a film on women’s struggle. It is a story of women working together to overcome the challenge of their oppressive surroundings.

There is a vast range of films in these awards. We have awards that bring to us the best of sound and the best of silence. Sounds that take us back to small Indian villages, towns and cities. Awards in various Indian languages that capture our culture, awards which raise our awareness about environment, awards that raise questions and others that offer solutions.

I feel that there are huge opportunities for greater co-operation between the film fraternity and the government to devise ways to utilize the scenic endowments of India.

I am glad to know that State of Uttarakhand has won the award for being the most film friendly state. I must congratulate the government in facilitating the ease of film making in the state.

While collectively striving for sustainable development, we can promote the tourism sector and showcase India’s cultural diversity to the world. 

Dear sisters and brothers,

As you all are aware, cinema is not only the most popular medium of entertainment but also the most impactful. Right from ‘Raja Harischandra’, the first movie made in India in 1913, films have caught the popular imagination and earned a special place in the hearts of people.

Cinema has no geographical or religious boundaries because it speaks a universal language and touches the raw emotions. Raj Kapoor’s ‘Awara Hoon’ continues to be popular in Russia even today. Over the years, Indian movies from Bollywood and other languages have earned global popularity.

During my visits abroad, I was pleasantly surprised to find about the popularity of Indian films. In fact, one of the top dignitaries of a Baltic country told me how they enjoyed watching Bollywood movies. And in the recent times, films like ‘Bahubali’ have proved that India’s film industry is capable of making technically superior movies. 

Over the years, cinema has become an integral part of our cultural consciousness. The staggering number of films made in different languages in our country every year is a testimony not only to the popularity of films, but also to the fact that the film industry provides livelihood to thousands of families across the country.

Since films can make profound impact on the society, I feel that cinema should act as an instrument of social change.

Dear sisters and brothers,

Art speaks a universal language. This language reaches the hearts and minds of people very easily. It communicates emotions, transmits values and helps shape social norms. It influences behaviour and can alter perceptions. It can incite people and excite passions or calm ruffled nerves and provide solace to troubled minds. It can make us laugh whole heartedly and shed tears copiously.

Art doesn’t merely copy what happens within society but also imagines the future and indirectly shapes a society. 

In a way, it not only provides wholesome entertainment but also performs an educative function. In my view, the film makers should also be conscious of the impact this powerful medium has on the people. The effort should be to educate people and promote social harmony. The focus should be on creating an artistic rendition of challenges and social ills and resolve the conflicts in a way that reinforces social cohesion and ethical principles. The film medium should strive to bring about an attitudinal change in the society as has been done in quite few films on many contemporary issues like sanitation, gender parity and caste discrimination.

We must convey a strong message to combat the current trend of violence against women.

I was extremely disturbed, like every right- minded citizen of the country, by the incidents of rape and violence against women in some parts of the country. No civilized society can accept such despicable acts against women.

The nation must rise in one voice to not only to condemn such atrocities but also to act with determination to prevent them. The mindset has to change. Parents have a huge role to play in inculcating the right values and attitude among children. So have the media.

Cinema too can play a major role in promoting the right values. It is probably wrong to think that a message-oriented film would not be accepted by the audience. A film with a social message can be entertaining and commercially successful as well.  In the recent years, Three Idiots was one such film.

It should be remembered that young, impressionable minds are greatly influenced by what they see on the silver screen. Therefore, I appeal to film makers and others in the film industry to take the lead in curbing violence, obscenity and vulgarity in films.

Violence has no place in a democracy. Every film maker must make a conscious effort to ensure that the dialogues, depiction of characters and costumes reflect India’s culture, customs, practices and traditions. Cinema should also help in strengthening   family systems and promoting democratic governance. 

As a matter of fact, cinema industry should not do anything that weakens the culture, traditions, values and ethos of Indian civilization. Indian films carry an important message to audiences across the world. They convey an important glimpse of ‘Indianness’ or ‘Bharatheeyatha’ to the outside world. We need to be effective ambassadors in the world of cultural diplomacy.

I once again congratulate all the award winners present here today. This is a moment of celebration, a moment of pride in our past achievements and a moment of buoyant optimism that makes us excited about the future opportunities.I am hopeful that the year 2020 will see an ever increasing sense of artistic and creative fulfillment as Indian cinema continues its quest for greater heights of excellence. 

Jai Hind!

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VRRK/MS/MSY/RK

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