New Dlhi, Nov 5 (India Today) : Filmmakers Kundan Shah and Saeed Mirza are the latest to join the group of artists and academics who have returned their awards in protest against the rising intolerance in India, closely following writer Arundhati Roy who announced her decision on Wednesday night.

Kundan Shah, who had won the national award for his cult-classic Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, said the film might not have been possible in 'today's atmosphere'.

Saeed Akhtar Mirza has received three national awards (Best Film on Family Welfare for Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho! in 1984, Best Direction and Best Screenplay for Naseem in 1996). Mirza said this is the time for the film fraternity to come together for a cause, adding "if not now, then when?"

Arundhati Roy in her article in The Indian Express wrote that "intolerance" is rather a wrong word to use for violence such as "lynching, shooting, burning and mass murder of fellow human beings".

Roy was awarded the national award for Best Screenplay in 1989 for the film In Which Annie Gives it Those Ones. In 2005, she was also offered the Sahitya Akademi honour which she turned down.

In the article, the Man Booker-winner expressed her pride at being able to participate in the "political movement" that some writers, filmmakers and academics have initiated against "a kind of ideological viciousness" gripping the country.

Adding to that, Roy writes: "I believe what artists and intellectuals are doing right now is unprecedented, and does not have a historical parallel. It is politics by other means."

Where did it all begin?

Not the first to start the trend in history, but in the light of the communal disharmony, Hindi writer Uday Prakash was the first to return his Sahitya Akademi Award in protest against the murder of fellow recipient, Kannada litterateur M M Kalburgi.

Soon, writer Nayantara Sahgal returned hers to protest against the Modi government's "failure to safeguard cultural diversity". Her stance triggered varied response from people; while some praised her for taking "a strong stand", others questioned her decision and accused of being hypocritical.

This step was soon followed by a score of acadmics, including former Lalit Kala Akademi chairman and poet Ashok Vajpeyi, Sarah Joseph, Ghulam Nabi Khayal and Mandakranta Sen.

And then filmmakers joined in

Khosla Ka Ghosla director Dibakar Banerjee and 11 other filmmakers returned national awards not only in protest against the growing intolerance, but also to offer support to the FTII students who had been protesting after the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as the institute's chief.

This stance by Dibakar, however, incurred severe criticism from people, including the film's producer, Savita Raj Hiremath, who said that Dibakar has "no right to give back the award as it was given to the film, and therefore the producer".

Some backed them

British-Indian sculptor Anish Kapoor and author Salman Rushdie also ardently voiced their support for artists' protests. Industrialist NR Narayana Murthy spoke about the increasing instances of intolerance, saying there is a considerable fear among minorities now.

While some disagreed

National award winning actors Kamal Haasan and Vidya Balan shook their heads at the trend of artists returning their titles.

"I won't do it. That's my right. Returning awards will not have any effect" said actor Kamal Haasan at a press meet,
"It is also necessary for them (the people returning awards) to be tolerant,"
Meanwhile, the Dirty Picture actor Vidya Balan said, "This honour (the award) is by the nation and not the government. So, I do not want to return it."

Shah Rukh Khan, during his exclusive interview to India Today Television, offered his support to these artist, but himself refused to add his awards to the pile of returned ones to the government.

All said and done, people with national-level awards are expressing their views and taking their stances. What would you do if you had one too?

Earlier update:

Arundhati Roy returns National Award, says proud to be a part of 'Award Wapsi'

New Delhi, Nov 5 (Agencies) : Well known author and activist Arundhati Roy has joined the league of writers and filmmakers who have returned their awards as a protest against the growing intolerance in the country.

The 55-year-old author won the national award in 1989 for the film "In Which Annie Gives it Those Ones". She also a Booker Prize winner for her book "The God of Small Things".

"Although I do not believe that awards are a measure of the work we do, I would like to add the National Award for Best Screenplay that I won in 1989 to the growing pile of returned awards," wrote Arundhati Roy in an article in Indian Express on Thursday.

"I believe what artists and intellectuals are doing right now is unprecedented, and does not have a historical parallel. It is politics by other means. I am so proud to be part of it. And so ashamed of what is going on in this country today," added Roy.