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By Vickey Lalwani Š2003 Bollyvista.com |
If you are one of those who thinks that censorship in India is applied uniformly and non-partially on all films, this one is for you.
You can only expect a filmmaker to be heartbroken when he has been given 40 cuts to his film by the Censor Board. This is the tale of first time director and producer Adeep Singh, ex-assisatant to Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Mansoor Khan.
His 2-crore film 'Adharm' (in the making since 2000) was denied the censor certificate 4 times!
"I had anticipated objection and I was game to implementing few cuts. But initially, the Censors refused to give me any cuts. They wanted me to revise the film on my own! Shockingly, their objections were quite stupid. Surely, I didn't even dream that they would take objections on 40 points. It was only at the fifth trial that they told me about the 40 objections, they wanted 33 sound cuts and 7 visual cuts. On top of that, they have certified it 'A'."
Singh's flick is based on the ever-controversial subject of Hindu-Muslim, India-Pakistan conflict. He informs that including Pakistan, Muslim, M F Husain, Wankhede, among many others, have been muted from full sentences. "As a result, when the film releases you will hear dialogues like '_ _ ______ ne Saraswati ki nangi tasveer utari.' Or 'Jab dekho ______ se sadak tak namaz padhte hai. One guy tells another that they are playing Maulana Azadf college which is tantamount to India playing Pakistan. I only wanted to express that the match had to be played to the fullest potential and highest competitiveness. Failing to understand this perspective, the Censors said that since the colleges playing the match had been shown in Mumbai, there was no need for me to even mention Pakistan," he informs dejectedly.
Could he elaborate? Singh says, "The film is set in Mumbai and showcases a Maharashtrian, Hindu fundamentalist called Dadasaheb Kulkarni (played by Sayaji Shinde) who belongs to the political party called Bhartiya Hindu Sangh (the board has got rid of this name from the film as well). He bears no resemblance to any politician or party. Yet they have drawn comparisons and said that it will cause trouble. What weight do assumptions have? Believe me, there is a great message at every stage of the film. That, every religion preaches peace."
More dope on the film? Says Singh, "Kuldeep (Rahul Dev) and his younger brother Jaideep (Rocky Khanna) migrate to the metropolis following the killing of their Sikh parents. Only the starting point of the film, Singh says, is taken from a real-life incident. Apparently, he is referring to the massacre of 37 Sikhs in Chattisinghpora, in Jammu and Kashmir on March 20, 2000, by terrorists. Of all places, the two brothers settle in Mumbai's Maharashtrian locality, Lalbaug. Here, the politician Kulkarni finds in Kuldeep a tool for his political games centred around Hindutva. He brainwashes the Sikh boy into killing a Muslim, who then lands in jail. In there, and on reading the sacred texts of all religions, he realises that he has been used by Kulkarni. But then, it's too late. His brother has also been brainwashed by now."
Explaining his film, Singh says: "My message in this film is that everyone should love their country. The film is against such Indians who celebrate India's loss to Pakistan in a cricket match. And against those politicians who exploit the young by brainwashing them against other religions."
He adds, "The audience is mature enough to get the message. The Censor Board, however, needs to change its laws. They have killed my film. How can a four-member jury decide what the rest of India is ready to watch? How are the Censor guys selected? What are their qualifications? Are they cinema literate? Have they done even a small workshop on films or filmmaking? I distinctly remember Censor guys walking out to the loo and loitering about outside, when the film was being actually screened inside. Why don't the film screenings for the Censors have an interval? And pray, how can I forget that lady from the Censor Committee who was talking on her mobile for half-an-hour?"
"I have no choice but to compromise," he says in absolute despair. The film also features Namrata Shirodkar, Sayaji Shinde, Sonali Kulkarni and Seema Biswas. Singh has assisted directors Ketan Mehta and John Matthew Mathan prior to making Adharm. But he is nervous. "Anybody who sees the film will say that I have not done my job properly. Imagine 40 jerks! I might not get sufficient films in future. Who knows how producers will see it? Besides, the film got consequently delayed by nearly 7 months."
What next? "My next directorial venture will be a musical thriller titled 'Gaffil' directed by newcomer Malik Maredia (M & M Productions). I have Rahul Dev in mind for one of the roles. Also, I am doing an English film 'A Positive Man' based on the true life on an AIDS activist from India. The protagonist has to lose 30 kg during the making of this one. It's not easy to find the actor who would play this role. The film traces the entire weight-loss transition," he divulges.
Arvind Trivedi was heading the Censor Board when Singh's films got embroiled in problems. The new Censor Chief Anupam Kher brings with him the experience and exposure of contemporary cinema all over the world, we say. If anybody is qualified to bring about a critical change, many people expect it will be Kher. But Singh almost writes off Kher initially, "It has been an old practice that the Censor Chief does not come for the screening," he says, but recovers to add, "I will be grateful to him if he does something good by changing the laws and bringing in some right people into the committee." Have you tuned in, Kher? |
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