07-13-2004, 05:53 AM
<b>Hindu boy meets Muslim girl on Sabarmati Express to Godhra...Cut!</b>
NEW DELHI: A love story set in Gujarat against the backdrop of the communal violence in 2002 and starring Bollywood star Aamir Khan's brother has run into trouble with the Censor Board. The reason: one of the main characters on screen playing Chief Minister bears an uncanny resemblance to Narendra Modi.
<b>Besides, the Board feels the film, Chand Bujh Gaya, directed by 28-year-old Mumbai-based Sharique Minhaj, is too close to the incidents that took place post-Godhra.</b>
When the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal was approached in April by F A Picture International, the producers, it was shot down again - for the same reasons. Without mentioning Modi by name, the Tribunal shut the door, saying the film resembles âcertain real-life personalities.â
<b>Says Tribunal member Rakesh Sinha: âTo show communal violence is one thing. To show the Chief Minister of a state perpetrating violence is a serious charge.'' Sinha, incidentally, is the author of a book on former RSS supremo K B Hedgewar and was appointed by former Information and Broadcasting minister Ravi Shankar Prasad during the NDA regime.
Starring Aamir Khan's brother Faisal Khan and Shama Sikandar, Chand Bujh Gaya is a 2hr 20min film, which tells the love story of a Muslim girl and a Hindu boy on the Sabarmati Express, speeding towards Godhra. Both die in the communal violence that follows.
âIt was not just the violence but also the resemblance a character has with Modi. He not only looks like Modi, he talks and moves like him. The RSS was also being targeted deliberately throughout the film,'' says Sinha.</b>
Minhaj denies the charge saying he has done a âbalancing act'' as far as the scenes depicting violence goes. âIf there is one incident where minorities are being targeted, the next shows Hindus being attacked,'' he says.
A copy of the Tribunal's observations, made on April 25, reads: <b>âWe are of the unanimous opinion that the film is full of gory visuals of violence and gruesome killings. Also certain characters have definite resemblance with real life personalities. Since the appellants are not agreeable to the suggested deletions, the Tribunal is of the opinion that the film, in its present form, will have an adverse impact on the people and may even lead to public disharmony. We have therefore, decided that the film cannot be certified in its present form.''</b>
Says Minhaj, <b>âMy film is on communal harmony and I cannot help if a character in the movie who is the chief minister of a state resembles Narendra Modi. Besides, is there a law which prohibits lookalikes from acting?''
Minhaj says he just wanted to do something different. According to him, the Gujarat incidents after Godhra form a significant part of the film and cannot be deleted or simply wished away. His next plan: knock at the court's door. âIt's my first film and I want people to see it,''</b> he says.
Source: <b>Hindu boy meets Muslim girl on Sabarmati Express to Godhra...Cut!</b>
NEW DELHI: A love story set in Gujarat against the backdrop of the communal violence in 2002 and starring Bollywood star Aamir Khan's brother has run into trouble with the Censor Board. The reason: one of the main characters on screen playing Chief Minister bears an uncanny resemblance to Narendra Modi.
<b>Besides, the Board feels the film, Chand Bujh Gaya, directed by 28-year-old Mumbai-based Sharique Minhaj, is too close to the incidents that took place post-Godhra.</b>
When the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal was approached in April by F A Picture International, the producers, it was shot down again - for the same reasons. Without mentioning Modi by name, the Tribunal shut the door, saying the film resembles âcertain real-life personalities.â
<b>Says Tribunal member Rakesh Sinha: âTo show communal violence is one thing. To show the Chief Minister of a state perpetrating violence is a serious charge.'' Sinha, incidentally, is the author of a book on former RSS supremo K B Hedgewar and was appointed by former Information and Broadcasting minister Ravi Shankar Prasad during the NDA regime.
Starring Aamir Khan's brother Faisal Khan and Shama Sikandar, Chand Bujh Gaya is a 2hr 20min film, which tells the love story of a Muslim girl and a Hindu boy on the Sabarmati Express, speeding towards Godhra. Both die in the communal violence that follows.
âIt was not just the violence but also the resemblance a character has with Modi. He not only looks like Modi, he talks and moves like him. The RSS was also being targeted deliberately throughout the film,'' says Sinha.</b>
Minhaj denies the charge saying he has done a âbalancing act'' as far as the scenes depicting violence goes. âIf there is one incident where minorities are being targeted, the next shows Hindus being attacked,'' he says.
A copy of the Tribunal's observations, made on April 25, reads: <b>âWe are of the unanimous opinion that the film is full of gory visuals of violence and gruesome killings. Also certain characters have definite resemblance with real life personalities. Since the appellants are not agreeable to the suggested deletions, the Tribunal is of the opinion that the film, in its present form, will have an adverse impact on the people and may even lead to public disharmony. We have therefore, decided that the film cannot be certified in its present form.''</b>
Says Minhaj, <b>âMy film is on communal harmony and I cannot help if a character in the movie who is the chief minister of a state resembles Narendra Modi. Besides, is there a law which prohibits lookalikes from acting?''
Minhaj says he just wanted to do something different. According to him, the Gujarat incidents after Godhra form a significant part of the film and cannot be deleted or simply wished away. His next plan: knock at the court's door. âIt's my first film and I want people to see it,''</b> he says.
Source: <b>Hindu boy meets Muslim girl on Sabarmati Express to Godhra...Cut!</b>