NO CREATIVE FREEDOM IN INDIA
When I learnt last Thursday that the Maharashtra State Government has banned the film Deshdrohi in the state, I was hugely disappointed-not because I wanted to see this film but because the ban was not at all justified. It proved that there’s no creative freedom for filmmakers. They are just expected to make same type of movies. And when someone tries to make a little controversial film on a social or current topic, it gets banned!
The problems for Deshdrohi’s producer Kamaal Rashid Khan (KRK) started 20 days before. The Censor Board found the movie too objectionable and gave it an ‘A’ certificate with 10 many cuts. KRK, naturally, was unhappy with this decision. He, therefore, approached the Tribunal in New Delhi which then passed the film with a ‘U/A’ certificate with only 5 cuts. Later, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena asked for a special screening of Deshdrohi. Surprisingly, they said that the film was fit for release as it has nothing objectionable! Yet, the State Government banned it.
The film is controversial since it is inspired from the MNS violence on north Indians in Feb 2008. The promos of the film show Kamaal Rashid Khan, who’s also the main lead in the film, speaking about the injustice inflicted on Bhaiyyas. “Agar garib aur bhaiyya hona apradh hai, to mein apradhi hoon!” is one of the dialogues shown in the promo!
The State’s decision to ban it on moral grounds is totally stupid one. The Times Of India rightly said, “A film which may otherwise have gone unnoticed has attracted undue attention because of the Maharashtra government’s knee-jerk reaction to ban it on grounds of law and order”. The Government and the Police feel that the film may cause greater divide between Marathis and north Indians. However, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, the party which is responsible for violence across the state in this year, does not endorse this viewpoint at all and are completely in favour of the film’s release. So how is this ban justified, in any case?
Earlier in this year, Jodhaa Akbar was similarly banned in Rajasthan, UP, Haryana and Uttarakhand. Certain Rajput groups and several historians claimed that Akbar’s wife was never known as Jodhaa. Some even say that Jodhaa was actually the name of Akbar’s son, Jehangir’s wife! This, again, wasn’t fully justified, since for years, Akbar’s wife was known as Jodhaa to almost every Indian. Even in the classic film, Mughal-E-Azam, the name of Akbar’s wife was Jodha. And Jodhaa Akbar was in the news right since it was launched in early 2007. But none of these groups and historians protested at that time. They woke up only when the film was nearing its release date!
Under such circumstances, a producer/director in a country like India would have to think thousand times before attempting such films. Hollywood made a film like Death Of A President, in which George Bush was shown being assassinated (using CGI effects). Do you think anything like this is possible in our country? Just imagine how much violence will erupt in our country if some brave producer even announces such a film!
It’s high time our beloved film industry should get together during times when films get banned on unjustified grounds. Also, banning a film gives an added boost to piracy. Meanwhile, Deshdrohi has got an electrifying 80-100% opening at single screens of UP and Bihar on its 1st day of release! The film would have surely got 45-55% opening had it released in Maharashtra because the film’s promotion was fantastic! None of the B-grade film has got such nice promotion in recent times. KRK’s acting looks funny and laughable, but yet, the film created hype. In fact, I have come across many people, who belong to the ‘multiplex audience’ and who claim that they are curious to watch Deshdrohi! Let’s hope the ban on the film in Maharashtra is lifted and that creativity wins hands down.
