In An Unprecedented Move, President Decides To Present Only 11 National Awards, Recipients Threaten To Boycott Ceremony

The 65th National Film Awards were conferred amid protest and boycott by a large section of recipients who were angy about the President choosing to honour only a few of them.

For the first time in 65 years, the President of India decided to present the National Award to only 11 out of 140 recipients, a move that has not gone down well with the awardees. More than 70 winners said they would skip the ceremony.

Awardees wrote a letter addressed to the Directorate of Film Festival, Office of the President of India and the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to express their disappointment. They said they were disheartened and "felt dejected rather than honoured" on being informed at the last minute that the president will present only 11 awards.

"It feels like a breach of trust when an institution/ceremony that abides by extreme protocol fails to inform us of such a vital aspect of the ceremony with a prior notice. It seems unfortunate that 65 years of tradition are being overturned in a jiffy," the letter read.

The artistes said they discussed the matter with Irani last evening and were promised a reply.

"In the circumstances of not receiving a response for our grievance we are left with no option but to be absent for the ceremony. We do not intend to boycott the award but are not attending the ceremony to convey our discontent and are awaiting a more just solution," they said in the letter.

The function, being held at Vigyan Bhavan, will be organised in two phases this year, the Press Information Bureau said. The first set of awards will be conferred by Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani and the Minister of State Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore from 4 pm. The second set will be presented by the president from 5.30 pm.

The decision is being seen as unprecedented, as National Awards has always been given by the President to all awardees.

Awardees question the last minute development, considering the letter and invite sent to them by the government had clearly mentioned that they will be presented with the award by President Ram Nath Kovind.

"Selecting 11 of the awardees is discriminatory. Of course, the celebrities will receive it from the President, what about the rest of us. Why discriminate against us. This is in violation of the convention followed for 64 years, since the first National Awards were held," one of the awardees told Outlook.

Expressing "surprise" at the "11th hour questions", Rashtrapati Bhavan said in a statement that the president attends all award functions for a maximum one hour and this was conveyed to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.

"President attends all award functions and convocations for a maximum of one hour. This has been the protocol since he took office. It was conveyed to Information and Broadcasting Ministry several weeks ago and the ministry knew this all along. Rashtrapati Bhavan is surprised by the 11th hour questions that have been raised," said Ashok Malik, press secretary to the president.