The recent debate over much-needed reforms which are intended to improve the lives of the residents in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep has captured the nation’s attention as a result of massive misleading propaganda by opposition parties, vested interest celebrities, and the news media.
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi spoke out against such reforms, labeling the Modi government’s changes “religious-cultural” and accusing them of being “bigots.” The Kerala High Court, however, declined to stay the reforms on Friday, declaring explicitly that it is a policy issue and dismissing the “religious and cultural” angle that is being relentlessly peddled by Congress politicians and its ecosystem.
The anti-reform discourse is not limited to Congress and its ecosystem, but also includes controversial celebrities who have joined the fray to benefit from the issue. Prithviraj Sukumaran, a Malayalam actor, is one such celebrity who has been pushing anti-development agendas against Lakshadweep in order to garner attention.
Opposing the reform measures adopted by the island administrator, the actor had said he was receiving “desperate messages” from people he knew in Lakshadweep, pleading with him to draw the attention of the public to the issues there.
“How does disrupting the way of life of a centuries-old peaceful settlement become an acceptable means of progress? How will threatening the balance of a very delicate island ecosystem with no regard for the potential consequences pave the way for sustainable development?” he had asked in a tweet.
Prithviraj Sukumaran, whose film “Anarkali” was shot in the islands in 2015, had appealed to the authorities to listen to the voice of the people of Lakshadweep and trust them to know what is better for their land.
“Years later, I was part of the crew that brought filmmaking back to the islands with Sachy’s ANARKALI. I spent a good 2 months in Kavaratti and made memories and friends for a lifetime. Two years back I went back again to film what was probably the most challenging sequence of my directorial debut LUCIFER. None of these would have been possible if not for the wonderful, warm-hearted people of Lakshadweep.” he said in his post.
In his post, Prithviraj further asks how it could be considered progress if a peaceful way of life is disrupted and urges whoever it may concern to listen to the voice of the people. “When an entire community is unhappy with decisions taken by a nominated authority, upon whose posting the people there had no say, and they vociferously bring it to the attention of the world and their government, I would like to think there is no way other than to act on it.”
However, in an interview, Sachy, the director of the 2015 Prithviraj-starrer film ‘Anarkali,’ detailed the incident, describing how the officials of Lakshadweep were forced to revoke the film’s permission because of Muslim opposition.
Even before the cast and crew of the film “Anarkali” arrived in Lakshadweep in February 2015, Sachy got the shocking news that island administrator Rajesh Prasad had revoked permission to film scenes on the islands of Agati, Kavaratti, Bangaram, and Thinnakara. The administrator had to revoke the permission to make the film, as a hardline Islamist organisation, Sunni Student Federation, protested outside the administrator’s office calling films to be unislamic.
“I was told that if shooting commenced, there would be communal problems. If I informed Prithviraj, Biju Menon, Priyal Gor, and Miya George about this situation, they’d start making their next flicks right away,” Sachy said, revealing how the officials were cautious about the Muslim community in the area. Then the director discussed the situation with producer Rajeev Nair and production controller Roshan Chittoor.
Apparently, the team was supposed to arrive at Kavaratti the next day. However, Sachy wanted more time to get the order reversed. So he persuaded the captain to change the direction of the ship’s journey. The crew was taken to the islands of Bitra, Kiltan, and other islands.
The team which was supposed to arrive at Kavaratti the next day, decided to change the direction of the ship’s journey, on the director’s advice, to the islands of Bitra, Kiltan, and other islands. Sachy wanted more time to get the order reversed.
By using his contacts, Sachy informed a senior official of the Ministry of External Affairs, who asked the administrator to come to Delhi. “If Lakshadweep is a part of India, then the film shoot will have to take place there, at all costs,” said an official to the administrator.
When the administrator Rajesh informed the MEA official about the likely law-and-order crisis and stated that he lacked the requisite resources to quell the unrest, he offered to dispatch central forces. Only after the center’s assurance to send central forces, Lakshadweep administrator Rajesh gave permission to shoot the ‘Anarkali’ movie.
Prithviraj Sukumaran, who is busy creating propaganda films to whitewash the misdeeds of Jihadists in Kerala, is completely unaware of the difficulties producers faced when filming the film “Anarkali.”
Because of its strategic importance, the current administrator, Praful Khoda Patel, has been working to promote development, enhance tourism, and improve security in Lakshadweep. The administration wants to improve the island’s infrastructure so that it may become a popular tourist destination. Some groups with vested interests and fundamentalist mindsets, on the other hand, are attempting to impede development efforts on the islands.
(With inputs from OpIndia)
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