KOCHI: Any state that seeks to control society doesn’t want diversity,” said Girish Kasaravalli, acclaimed filmmaker and national award winner, while speaking at the Kadamakkudy International Film Festival.

Commenting on the central government’s ‘one nation’ concept, Kasaravalli emphasised the importance of understanding and negotiating differences in a pluralistic society.

“Implementing policies like ‘one nation’ is like trying to fit everyone into a single mould. Each individual has a unique identity,” he noted. Kasaravalli urged the audience to resist such homogenisation through diversity.

On filmmaking, he said, “My politics is about challenging the status quo. I don’t endorse what’s widely accepted. Through my films, I aim to make the unfamiliar familiar and the familiar unfamiliar. We’re often brainwashed into accepting certain norms as normal. I want to explore issues from the perspectives of those affected, not the beneficiaries. I strive to look at things from the viewpoint of the marginalised, not the state or the majority.”

In the panel discussion, held as part of the three-day film festival,Ananya Kasaravalli, his daughter and filmmaker, also spoke about films,characters and society.