Suchitra film academy drops plan to take on corporate donor's name

After facing a backlash from well-known writers, Suchitra Cinema and Cultural Academy Trust has dropped its proposal to prefix its name with a corporate brand.

Puravankara, a real estate group, had offered money to the trust, and sought branding and representation on the board: the 46-year-old organisation was to be renamed Puravankara-Suchitra Cinema and Cultural Academy. On Thursday, Prakash Belawadi, managing trustee, said, “We have decided to keep the name of the society as it is. The decision was taken in the wake of negativity surrounding the alliance and protests from some people.”

Many within Suchitra had resisted the proposal to change its name and give partial control to the corporate donor. Tension had been building up over the months. In a letter published in the Kannada daily Prajavani on April 5, well-known writers M S Sriram, Vivek Shanbhag, and K V Akshara said they were shocked by reports about the change of name and dilution of autonomy.

They said it was not just ‘improper and unethical’ but also ‘dangerous’ for companies to insist on such conditions while making donations, and for cultural organisations to give in to them. In the strongly worded letter, they said such ‘aggressive attitudes’ on the part of the corporates and ‘pathetic slavery’ on the part of public institutions would only lead to ‘perverse’ consequences.

Sriram told DH the move was a deal between two parties not in the public interest, while Vivek Shanbhag said the ‘back-door entry of corporates’ into cultural bodies should stop.
Sources said Puravankara had offered Rs 15 crore on the additional condition that a company representative be appointed one of its trustees. The trust had chalked out a plan of Rs 15 crore to instal new technology, and equip its hall with Dolby Atmos audio and digital projectors.

“When we were hosting an international film festival, the company came forward to help us. We then approached them for funds, and they agreed to help us under certain conditions,” a trustee said.