Udta Punjab: Should Censor Board clip wings of movies that fly high?
Bollywood has had a very slippery affair with the portrayal of drug culture as we have seen film makers inviting the wrath of censor board for glorifying it.
We have played Pancham da's magical song 'Jai jai shiv shankar kaanta lage na kankar' in loop on Holi. Sung by Kishore Kumar and enacted by Rajesh Khanna and Mumtaz in 1974 film Aap ki Kasam, the song celebrated the use of bhang as an offering to Lord Shiva. We have also grooved to the tunes of 'dum maaro dum' sung by Lata Mangeshkar portraying the 'free love' hippie culture of the 70s.
These songs gave a glimpse of the open secret of India's drug culture where bhang and ganja are no longer associated with sadhus of Banaras but urban youth who seek quick hallucinations with the substance use.
Bollywood has had a very slippery affair with the portrayal of drug culture as we have seen film makers inviting the wrath of censor board for glorifying it. Anurag Kashyap's debut movie Paanch was banned on the ground that it glorified youth indulging in violence and drugs. This movie is loosely based on Joshi-Abhyankar serial murders of 1997; it is a thriller with high violence, crass language and drug abuse.
Bollywood has been locking horns with the censor board in the past over creative liberty of film makers. The anti-smoking campaign has been long challenged by leading filmmakers such as Anurag Kashyap and Farhan Akhtar who claim that it ('Smoking Kills' band on screen) is more of a distraction for the viewers and it does not effectively illustrate the cause.
Usage of drugs among characters as a sign of emancipation from the grim realities of life or songs moulded with the lyrics which are more often suggestive such as 'babaji ki booti' from the movie Go Goa Gone tells us about the coveted yet risky path film makers take to display drug use. The leading characters in the movie Go Goa Gone had to put forth an advisory at the end of the film asking people not to resort to drugs as they 'eff' you up.
The recent movie which is said to join the brigade of joints isUdta Punjab. This movie is being directed by Abhishek Chaubey and the lead cast include Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Aliya Bhatt and Diljit Dosanjh. Titled quite suggestively, this movie is rumoured to be based on drug substance abuse in Punjab. The drug abuse situation in Punjab presently has been termed as "drug hurricane" byAl Jazeera. According to its reports, the situation is more critical in rural households as more than two-third families have been affected by drugs. The stakes might have gone higher from 66% in 2014. The youth is involved in all forms of drugs - medical or synthetic.
All forms of art are usually seen as a medium to reflect on life. The rationale that if masses did not turn out to be Gandhis after watching Ben Kingsley's Gandhi then they won't end up being peddlers or murderess after watching a violent cinema indeed holds ground as the billion-dollar bollywood industry is leaping forwards with daring producers and eccentric film-makers.
Then why does the Censor Board restrict certain scenes that it thinks may have an ill-effect on youths? Is the Censor Board a dozing giant, lying far away from reality or is it trying to whitewash everything associated with the image of India as a society?
In the last decade, drug abuse has increased manifold in the country. India is the biggest consumer of heroin according to the United Nations Drug Report 2011. The capital city of India itself has witnessed a steep rise in the consumption of drugs. According to a source, there is a 23% increase in the use of drugs among college students (youth) in last five years. Commonly used drugs are Amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS), Meow and Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Out of these MDMA and Cocaine are the most commonly used. The statistics clearly shows the evidence of high usage of drugs in our sub-continent. Then why does the censor board shirk away and refuse to accept desolating realities?
One argument can be that the youth can be easily influenced by Bollywood stars who are adored and ardently followed by their fans and are considered idols. But a counter argument to it could be Censor Board's easy stand on suggestively sexist and misogynist item numbers and Honey Singh's songs. If they can get a green card, so can a couple of scenes showing drug use.
There are very few film makers in Bollywood who have suggestively portrayed drug use in each of their works. One of them is Anurag Kashyap whose films are usually based on grim realities of life and his characters usually seem to overcome from these harsh realities through consumption of drugs. His gangster epicGangs of Wasseypurdepicted Faizal (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) a local gangster of Wasseypur as a charasi (pot smoker); one of the reasons for his addiction to drugs can be attributed to an childhood incident where he witnesses his mother (Richa chaddha) sharing bed with his father's uncle (Piyush Mishra).
The story of Anurag Kashyap's DevD is of a 21st century Devdas, who is seen drowned in drugs and sex when his beloved gets married to someone else. In Gulal, he carried the theme of drugs and alcohol in the backdrop of Rajasthan's Rajputana politics. The character of Anuja played by Jesse Randhawa who takes to drug to come out of trauma caused by local goons is another portrayal of characters seeking solace in drugs.
Clearly, very few film makers in India have displayed the audacity of showing a mirror to the censor board that too in subtle scenes. It is time that the board accepts the reality and let the film makers and film goers fly high, quite literally. What do you think? Let us know your take on this issue in the comment section below.
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