Lasyapriya Sundaram (BOMBAY TIMES; November 15, 2017)

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s upcoming period film Padmavati has been under fire since January this year. First, the filmmaker was attacked when he was shooting on location in Jaipur and then, the film’s set and costumes were ransacked in Kolhapur. That’s not all, while the Rajput Karni Sena had picked up cudgels earlier in the year, recently, Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) member and BJP leader Arjun Gupta, in a letter addressed to the Home Minister, Rajnath Singh, said, “He (Sanjay Leela Bhansali) needs to be severely punished by being tried for treason for his attempt to distort history, so that in future any filmmaker is wary of these kind of projects.”

FILM BODIES SUPPORT PADMAVATI, BUT IS THE GOVERNMENT DOING ENOUGH?
While the clamour against the filmmaker is rising and he has been given police protection, various bodies within the industry, including the Indian Film & Television Directors’ Association (IFTDA), the Cine And TV Artistes Association (CINTAA), Western India Cinematographers’ Association (WICA), Screenwriters’ Association (SWA), Association of Cine & TV Art Directors & Costume Designers and the workers’ union pledged their support to the filmmaker. Even though the I&B Minister Smriti Irani had said that the State Government will jump into the fray in case of any violence, adding, “I am sure law and order will be under control. The State government will ensure no miscreants disrupt any kind of interaction or display. I don't envisage any problem. If there is any challenge, the State government will meet it.” The associations have promised to write to the Minister of I&B Minister, addressing the need for filmmakers to have the freedom to tell the stories that they want to without fear.

Filmmaker Ashoke Pandit, responsible in bringing all these associations together to extend their support to Bhansali, asserted, “We are not going to take this lying down. The State and Central Governments have to send the message across that filmmakers cannot be silenced through violence. Ruling party MLAs and MPs cannot go against the filmmakers in this manner. The buck should stop with the CBFC. Strict action needs to be taken against those acting against the law. It’s a very sad situation when ministers are giving statements against a film. It’s not necessary that the Rajput Karni Sena’s version of history is true. Unhone history ka theka leke rakha hai kya?”

Incidentally, this isn’t the first time that a film or a filmmaker has had to face opposition for his or her work of art. In the middle of 2016, the makers of Udta Punjab had to appeal to the Supreme Court when the CBFC headed by Pahlaj Nihalani, refused to certify the film without the proposed cuts as it addressed the drug menace prevalent in the state. Last October, when Ae Dil Hai Mushkil faced the ire of the MNS (Maharashtra Navnirman Sena), filmmaker Karan Johar, in a video had to promise that he will not engage with talent from Pakistan to facilitate the smooth release of his film. A few months ago, Madhur Bhandarkar’s Indu Sarkar faced the ire of the Congress party as it revolved around the Emergency. With such instances occurring regularly, the question remains — are these associations powerful enough to elicit a response from the government?

Irrespective of the party that’s in power at the Centre or the State, movies whose themes revolve around religion, politics, gender or for that matter history, have always come under the radar. B P Singh, the President of IFTDA said, “The only thing we can do is come together and appeal to the government. Every time there is a situation like this we have to unite to battle it together. There is concurrence amongst us when it comes to ideas and plan of action. Our strength lies in our unity. Though I don’t think there will be a permanent solution anytime soon. We will have to deal with as and when a problem arises.” Ashoke believes their associations are powerful. He said, “The heads of all these associations represent close to one lakh people. The head of the workers’ union represents close to eight lakh people. The industry has come together and we want action to be taken.”

Since Bhansali’s Padmavati is a big budget production, the association heads were also asked if they would raise their voice against the move of dropping movies like S Durga and Nude from the Indian Panorama Section of the upcoming International Film Festival of India. Ashoke was quick to add, “We condemn every filmmaker whose freedom of expression has been compromised. The industry is under a fear psychosis and there are policemen outside Bhansali’s house for his protection.”

Padmavati is yet to be seen by the CBFC, chairperson Prasoon Joshi condemned CBFC member Arjun Gupta’s comments regarding Bhansali and said, “It’s unfortunate to see the personal point of view expressed by an advisory panel member of CBFC, against Sanjay Leela Bhansali. By no means does it represent the point of view of the CBFC. We have respect for Bhansali as an individual and artiste.” Now, it remains to be seen if the government will extend its support for the release of the film after the CBFC’s verdict on it.