Tharoor opposed to IFFK in different venues

Thiruvananthapuram: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has come out strongly against the Kerala government's decision to conduct the 25th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) in different venues other than Thiruvananthapuram.

The former Union minister and well-known author and speaker, Tharoor said that there is no need for conducting the festival in different venues.

In a tweet he also said that the state government was conspiring to shift the venue to other places and cited a Facebook post of the state government on October 17, 2016 calling for shifting the festival to other venues as well.

Kerala Culture Minister A.K. Balan had announced the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) in various venues - Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Thalassery and Palakkad. The minister had said that the festival will be inaugurated on February 10 at Thiruvananthapuram and conclude on March 5 at Palakkad.

Congress leader K.S. Sabarinath had come out openly against the state government's decision to conduct IFFK across four venues. Sabarinath had said the other day that Thiruvananthapuram is a brand and that there was no need for conducting the festival in different parts of the state.

Sabarinath said that like Venice, Berlin or Toronto, Thiruvananthapuram is a brand and holding the festival at various venues will lead to this brand getting diluted.