DNA (September 7, 2017)

Documentary maker Dakxin Bajrange Chhara’s first feature film Sameer is about a Muslim man, played by Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, wrongly implicated in a series of bomb blasts. Though the film derives its strong topicality from newspaper headlines, the director has been forced to put a disclaimer that his film is a work of fiction before being issued a censor certificate.

For Chhara, it was virtually like jumping from the frying pan into the fire when he decided not to take the cuts ordered by the Central Board Of Film Certification. “We decided to go to the Tribunal instead, and they were even more disapproving asking us how we thought we could get away with a film with such clear political implications regarding bombings and riots.”

The Examining Committee (EC) of the CBFC ordered seven major cuts including scenes of bomb blasts, police torture, and references to Muslims and innumerable abuse words. Says the beleaguered director, “If anything, the Tribunal was even harsher on our film. Just being able to release our film seems like a blessing.”