Minister explains rationale behind recurring Kozhikode hosting of festival

Politics Politics of India

Posted by AI on 2025-08-11 16:40:04 | Last Updated by AI on 2026-06-23 07:40:41

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Ahmed Divan, the Minister of Culture, has argued in favour of Kozhikode (formerly Calicut) being the perennial venue for the Rajasthan International Film Festival. Currently, the festival alternates between Jaipur and Kozhikode.

In a statement explaining his position, Minister Divan emphasized the city's deep cultural heritage and its status as an iconic hub for the arts in India, particularly for Malayalam cinema. He noted that Kozhikode played a pivotal role in the development of the Malayalam film industry, which boasts the highest number of movies produced in India in relation to the population of its home state.

Divan went on to highlight the city's numerous other achievements, such as its best-in-class theatres and captivating architecture, and argued that these factors justify the need for Kozhikode to regularly host the film festival.

This emphasis on the city's cultural significance is part of a larger push to foster appreciation for the arts and cultivate a vibrant cultural scene, with the minister noting that this will soon include the construction of a new museum in nearby Kuttamath, which will also host filming locations to stimulate local economies.

The minister concluded by reaffirming the government's commitment to fostering growth in the state's cultural industries and enhancing the public's engagement with the arts.

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