This story is from July 22, 2014

Mollywood film that throws light on Nirbhaya case faces censor block

The makers of Lasagu Usaga are upset with the decision taken by the Censor Board
Mollywood film that throws light on Nirbhaya case faces censor block
The makers of Lasagu Usaga are upset with the decision taken by the Censor Board to delete the present climax of the film and come up with a new version.
Jose Kallinkal, one of the directors of the film, says, “The censoring was done against the rules. There should be at least two male and two female officers along with the presiding officer to watch the film. However, in our case, the woman official arrived only after the first half of the film.
They not only criticised our film but also insulted us. According to the officials, the climax was not the way they expected it to be and so they decided to delete the scenes. But how can the officials interfere with our creativity?”
The film reportedly sheds light on the Nirbhaya rape case. “Youngsters misuse internet and mobile phones for various purposes and we have captured all that in the film. It was a bold attempt from our part to show the audience the wrongdoings in society,” says the director.
Jose, a debutant filmmaker, says, “After watching the film, one of the panel members, Shahida Kamal, told us that she needs to keep a watch on her 17-year-old son and that is exactly what we want the parents to do.”
The filmmakers are miffed with the officials as they did not give them an opportunity to clarify their approach towards the film. “We have contacted FEFKA and want the Censor Board to watch the film once again. We are also planning to file a complaint against Shahida for her rude behaviour.”
The film falls under ‘anti-social’ category: Censor Board
When we contacted Shahida Kamal, she refuted the allegations and said that the movie should have been rejected, but the majority vote counts and the other panel members were of the opinion that after certain cuts, the movie can be released. “I am a social worker and I cannot give my nod for such a badly shot film. There are certain guidelines which the Board has to follow and we cannot grant approval for a film just like that. These filmmakers are unaware about the rules and regulations. The application they submitted before the Board was full of mistakes. There is a certain category for films like social, educational, crime etc. But this film does not fit into any category; we cannot give it even an A certificate. This film should fall under ‘anti-social’ category,” she said.
The panel members were reportedly shocked after watching the climax of the film. Says Shahida, “I was shocked after watching the climax. How these people could come up with such garbage, I wondered. There are many films that get rejected and they can submit a request to the revising committee. For Blessy’s Kalimannu, there were six women in the panel to watch the film. So if a movie sparks controversy, the Board is careful about it. The filmmakers claim they want to throw light on socially relevant issues, but what message they want to convey is unclear. In fact, after watching the film I felt that it will only encourage wrongdoings in society.”
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