Dial M for mayhem
ZIYA US SALAM
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In this country of inflammable passions, it is not always the Censor Board that has the last word in passing films for screening. The hullabaloo created by society is often enough to send producers scurrying for cover.
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CENSORS AND SENSIBILITIES: Increasingly, controversial films need to pass muster with the general public, or they are not safe bets for distributors.
THIS IS the Kaal for controversy in Bollywood. Barely had the din died down about the misuse of forest premises in Soham's "Kaal" than we were visited by the kiss-and-tell saga of "Nazar". Meera the Pakistani actress was at the centre of it all, some people on the other side of the border ranted that she had kissed a non-Muslim, this side they talked of the skin show in the wake of "Murder". But when the film was released this past week, there was neither a kiss nor a tale in it!
Released alongside "Nazar" was "Naina", another supernatural thriller that had the medical fraternity up in arms. "It will put people off cornea transplant," they alleged. Never mind. Hardly anybody queued up to watch "Naina".
Mid-summer madness
These are but small sidelights in the ongoing saga of raving and ranting in Bollywood this summer. Call it mid-summer madness if you will, but Bollywood has been singularly opposed to placidity this season. It all started with "Tango Charlie" where director Ravi Shankar claimed Bodos were active in Manipur. The film was banned in some parts of the country for its lopsided portrayal of the Bodos. Then came "Sins" mired in controversy with the Catholics protesting the depiction of a priest in sin. But the biggest madness in recent times has surrounded Rahul Rawail's "Jo Bole So Nihaal", a film shrouded in controversy for unseemly reasons from day one. First Sunny Deol continued with his penchant for films that would evoke extreme reactions from many, provoke a few - remember how "Gadar" insidiously sought to equate Islam with Pakistan? This time, obviously the Sikh community was being targeted as probable viewers, except the dice rolled the other way. Some in the Sikh leadership alleged that the title was misleading. There were protests at showing scantily clad girls in a film with a clearly religious name. The makers took corrective measures and the posters declared loud and clear, "It is not a religious film". Point settled, the protests continued on more flimsy grounds. "It has hurt Sikh sentiments. They have shown a scantily clad girl dancing with a Sikh cop," they fumed! "They should get a true Sikh to play a Sikh," some demanded. The film opened to average response all over, and one thought the controversy had subsided. After all, the gurudwaras in Delhi had given permission for the film's screening.
Not to be. One week old, and the film was withdrawn from Punjab following loud protests from various Sikh organisations that the film had hurt their sentiments. But apparently, their sentiments were slightly more delicate than those of people elsewhere. Or so, the distributors thought who continued to show the film in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and elsewhere. That was until Sunday's tragic bomb blasts that claimed one life and left nearly 60 injured. The exhibitors and the distributors promptly withdrew the film from Delhi and surrounding regions, stating nevertheless that there was no official confirmation the blasts were related to the film. "It was a precautionary measure meant to protect the life of the innocent," they said.
The film is likely to incur losses. But then this is not the first time summer madness has gripped cinemagoers as also those who never venture to see a film but still decide what the film lovers should watch.
Last year too
Remember last year also we had a controversy over M.F. Husain's "Meenaxi" which was also withdrawn after a two-week run at the box office. Some verses in a song apparently hurt the Muslim sentiments, and Husain decided to withdraw the film rather than cut the said song.
Much the same happened with "Chand Bujh Gaya". Loosely based on the Gujarat riots with a cine Chief Minister bearing a close resemblance to the Gujarat Chief Minister, the film ran into rough weather until the High Court cleared it. But that was not the end of the problem. It still could not be shown in Gujarat as the political parties and their affiliated organisations decided to play the super Censors and made sure that the Faisal Khan-starrer - mediocre as it was - was not screened in the land from where its story originated.
But then "Chand Bujh Gaya" and lately "Jo Bole... " have not been the only instances where the society has been paramount and even the judgement of the Central Board of Film Certification as also that of the courts subservient. Remember all that hullabaloo over "Bose - the Forgotten Hero" just because Shyam Benegal was unambiguous about Netaji's marital status? Or the hue and cry before the release of "Black Friday", Anuraag Kashyap's film based on the book on the Mumbai riots? The film could not be released despite certification and the matter is pending with the Supreme Court.
That's not the last one would hear of a controversy in Hindi films though. Already, noises are being made by animal lovers over the alleged maltreatment of animals during the shooting of "Paheli", Amol Palekar's forthcoming film, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukerjee.
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