Angry that his film Phule was not considered for the International Film Festival of India, director Ananth Mahadevan claims the biopic was snubbed in the Oscar race and has been ‘silently boycotted’
Stills from ‘Phule’. Pics/Instagram, Youtube
Having one’s movie screened at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) is a matter of pride and joy. Filmmaker Ananth Mahadevan had hoped to experience it with Phule, his biopic on social reformer Jyotirao Phule. But as the upcoming film festival unveiled its schedule, the director is disheartened that his Pratik Gandhi and Patralekhaa-starrer has not made the cut. “I feel angry, pained, and helpless. A government-sponsored festival like IFFI sidelined Phule, despite it being an honest film with credible actors,” he tells mid-day.
Stills from ‘Homebound’
The movie, released on April 25, chronicled how the social reformer and his wife Savitribai fought casteism and championed women’s education in the 19th century. What stings Mahadevan further is that Homebound, which explores casteism prevalent in the country today, has been selected as India’s official entry to the Academy Awards 2026 while his casteism drama has been “silently boycotted”. “Phule was not selected for the Oscars either. This is the original caste revolution that happened in India. I haven’t seen Homebound, but I know it’s about caste differences today. When you have cinema of a scale like that of Phule, including solid performances and the relevance of [its subject] to contemporary times, it [being overlooked] is sad. I feel some kind of silent boycott is happening. If it was a bad film, I’d understand. But considering the kind of films that have been selected at IFFI, it’s disheartening. There are 26 films in the Indian Panorama section. Are you saying it does not deserve a chance among 26 movies?”
Ananth Mahadevan
During the Independence Day celebrations this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the government will mark Phule’s 200th birth anniversary in 2027 with special events. Pleased as he is that the social reformer’s contributions continue to reverberate in society even today, the director is saddened that his big-screen story didn’t get as much support. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about the bicentenary, but not once when the film was released. He could have supported it by making it tax-free. Not a single state government gave Phule a tax-free status. The producers had applied for it and were promised, but it didn’t come true.”
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