The Kerala High Court has asked the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) to take a fresh look at a request from Amal Neerad Production to accept the Malayalam film Bougainvillea for the 72nd National Film Awards.
Justice V J Arun issued the direction while hearing a petition filed by the production house, which said it was unable to submit the film through the official online portal due to technical glitches. According to the petition, repeated attempts to register on the portal failed, prompting the team to email the ministry on October 31 seeking assistance, but they received no reply.
During the hearing, the Deputy Solicitor General informed the court that the portal for submissions had been functioning since October 10 and that the process was widely publicised nationally.
The court noted that it could not reach a definitive conclusion on whether the technical issues actually prevented the filmmaker from applying. Even so, it observed that since the petitioner had specifically sought an extension, the competent authority should consider the request.
Justice Arun directed the I&B Ministry to examine the representation and take a reasoned decision on the issues raised by the production house. The ministry has been asked to issue its decision within ten days.
Bougainvillea, directed by Amal Neerad and starring Kunchacko Boban and Fahadh Faasil, recently collected seven honours at the Kerala State Film Awards. The cast also includes Jyothirmayi, Sharaf U Dheen, Veena Nandakumar and Srinda.
