Apurva Asrani, writer-editor of Aligarh reacts to its truncated telecast on national TV during which intimate scenes were cut and the word homosexual was muted
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 13, 2016)

On Sunday, Hansal Mehta's biopic, Aligarh, which has Manoj Bajpayee playing the late Professor Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras who taught Marathi at Aligarh Muslim University and was sacked from his position of Reader and Chair of Modern Indian Languages due to his sexual orientation, was telecast on Zee's &TV at 8.30 pm with all the intimate scenes between Manoj's Siras and his homosexual lover in the film chopped off. Even a love-making scene between a heterosexual couple was deleted. To add insult to injury, words and phrases like 'gair mard', 'lower caste Muslim' and even 'homosexual' were muted out.

The film's writer and editor, Apurva Asrani, is saddened by this butchery of a sensitive film. And while he was grateful and glad to see his film getting a prime-time slot on national television, he was also disappointed by the apologetic telecast. "It hurt that any reference to my community and sexuality was muted out. It was a slap on our faces and reiterated the fact that at the end of the day we don't exist," he sighs.

Apurva points out that while content on streaming sites like Netflix goes through less meddling, satellite channels are under the purview of certain broadcasting laws. They were informed months ago that there would be certain cuts and were forced to submit to them because satellite rights bring vital revenue for a small film like Aligarh. "We chose to implement the cuts ourselves, or they would have been done by someone else. We tried to carry them out sensitively, and even had some reduced," he informs.

One may recall that Hansal Mehta had taken on the censors for giving an 'A 'certificate to the trailer of Aligarh and there were few issues during the censoring of the film too. "By the time we reached the TV censor list, we were exhausted from fighting and we did the job, so that our producers didn't suffer," he reminisces.

Yet, when viewing the film in its entirety, Apurva was distraught. "We had made this film to restore the dignity of Professor Siras, but by muting out information about his sexuality, we have robbed him of his dignity again," he rues.

Apurva points out that in our country, homosexuality is considered a malaise which needs to be treated without naming it. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his heartfelt message while condoning the Orlando attacks in a US gay club did not use the word 'homosexual'.

While muting it on the screen, the explanation often given is that it is not considered appropriate for viewing by children. Apurva argues that if they can be told that they came from mummy and daddy, why can't they be educated about alternate sexuality as well? What if the child needs someone to talk to about his own sexuality? Communication over confusion is what he advocates.

"I won't be short-sighted and blame the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), one particular person or its members. They are people like us representing society and our society is confused about alternate sexuality. But I want people to know that it has existed over millennia, and our scriptures acknowledge alternate sexualities with dignity," he reasons.

Apurva blames the outdated Victorian values left behind by the British for this confusion. "When they came to India, they found the natives sexually liberated and were horrified. They worked for over 200 years to tame us morally. Today, the British have moved on, they talk openly about alternative sexuality and accept it, but India still lives in the year 1835!" he grouses.

He however accepts that some things have changed for the better. For instance a film like Aligarh can be made with mainstream actors today. It releases in cinemas without being butchered by censors. It plays on prime-time National TV within seven months of release. "This is progress. And it's because of our sustained efforts that we have come so far and we can't let go now. We need to discuss sexuality openly and condone the hypocrisy which shrouds this issue," he signs off.