Amid the ongoing protests against Padmavati and the information and broadcasting ministry’s decision to pull out two films S Durga and Nude from screening at IFFI, it makes us ponder the question whether the film industry is slowly heading towards a dark future.
Overruling the recommendation of the 13-member jury, the information and broadcasting ministry pulled out Malayalam movie “S Durga” and Marathi film “Nude” from the 48th edition of the film festival, to be held in Goa from November 20 to 28. This obviously has not gone well with the film fraternity. ‘Kahaaani’ director Sujoy Ghosh resigned as head of the jury of IFFI’s Indian Panorama section following the controversy.
Several jury members expressed their displeasure over the ministry’s move to drop the films from the list they submitted. The jury submitted its list to the ministry on September 20-21, but the line-up was made public only recently and without the name of the two films.
We heard that the ministry objected because the film that was supposed to be screened at IFFI was ‘Sexy Durga’ and not ‘S Durga’, the version cleared by the censor board. The ministry said the other film ‘Nude’ could not make the cut as the submission was “technically incomplete”.
Also, scriptwriter Apurva Asrani announced that he was resigning as jury member. “I stand with the chairman of the jury. We had a responsibility towards some very sincere films, and somewhere we have failed them. My conscience won’t allow me to participate in the festivities in Goa,” he said in a statement.
Actor-filmmaker Satarupa Sanyal, said the chairman should have been informed about the decision to drop the two films.
“These films were selected after 21 days of deliberations. I think there must be a protocol to inform the jury chairman of the decision. ‘Nude’ was a fantastic film and was liked by the jury unanimously,” Sanyal said.
‘S Durga’, which was earlier titled ‘Sexy Durga’, is a road movie that follows the horrifying experience of two hitchhikers, a man and a woman, at the hands of two men. It won the Hivos Tiger Award in the International Film Festival Rotterdam 2017.
‘Nude’ depicts the struggle of a woman secretly working as a nude model in Mumbai.
Both directors said they were shocked and disappointed by the ministry’s decision. ‘S Durga’ director Sanal Kumar Sasidharan said he would approach the court after this “clever move” by the ministry. ‘Nude’ director Ravi Jadhav was equally upset.
Just to focus on a wider perspective, this is not just about those two films or just about Padmavati. This has happened in the past with many films. Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, which starred Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, was asked to ban its release. After much hullabaloo, Fawad was asked not to come to India to promote the film.
To be honest, it’s pointless to point fingers, only at them as there is lack of unity in the film industry when it comes to these things. Part of the industry or rather majority of them are scared to speak up. They’ll have to come together to create an environment that they themselves can function in, the way they want to.
The audiences do not need to be spoon-fed but be exposed to different kinds of ideas and cultures through cinema. If this kind of incidents continue happening, the industry will soon be dug up in graveyard.
Farhan Akhtar, speaking on this scenario, said, “We, as a film industry, are depended on the CBFC to tell us what is ok and what is not. We have accepted that. Beyond that, it is in the hands of the I&B Ministry and for the government to protect the films and the filmmakers.”
Read Also: Ban On Padmavati: While Film Fraternity Comes In Full Support, Govt’s Silence Has Been Questioned
