Dilji Dosanjh’s next movie, Ghallughara directed by Honey Trehan and also starring Arjun Rampal has gotten into a troubled spot with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
It is not often that you’d hear of Dosanjh’s name in such controversies, with the actor mostly appearing in films that don’t ruffle many feathers, even if some of them might have a slightly serious premise.
However, Ghallughara did run into trouble with the CBFC after it gave the film an A certifcate along with almost 21 cuts. The film is said to be inspired from the life of Sikh human rights activist, Jaswant Singh Khalra but the censor board is having issues with the plot of the movie among other things.
What Is The Censor Board Saying?
The film is based around Jaswant Singh Khalra, a noted Sikh activist who made a name for himself fighting for justice and human rights during the insurgency of Punjab in the 1990s. The film is about such activists and what they have to go through during their fight for what they believe in.
According to reports, the biopic has been waiting for censor board clearance for almost 6 months now, but now this ruling by he CBFC would mean cutting almost 90% of the film as per a source close to the issue.
Apparently, the CBFC is raised concerns about a few scenes and dialogues that they feel could trigger violence in the Sikh youth and also lead to a possible radicalisation. Beyond that, the censor board also worries the impact the film could have on India’s sovereignty and its relations with foreign countries.
Read More: FlippED: Is Bollywood Also Using Hindutva To Promote Movies Now?
The censor board according to reports also ordered for the removal of specific dialogues and the film’s title.
In June, RSVP the production house had also filed an appeal with the Bombay High Court asking for intervention against the censor board’s decision. The claimed that the cuts asked by the CBFC were unreasonably restrict and that the Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India gave them a fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression.
As per reports in their plea they wrote
“CBFC has merely decided to recommend modifications which would change the very character of the film and crase the artistic and cinematic liberties rightly exercised by the Petitioners and, in order to justify these actions, have mechanically cited the Guidelines.
This is nothing but an act of arbitrariness and unreasonableness on the part of the Respondent and violates the Petitioners’ fundamental rights under Article 14 of the Constitution. The same constitutes a colorable exercise of power on the part of the Respondent.”
Further it added that
“If every film which depicts a wrong or excesses committed by a state authority endangers public order, then only propaganda films which glorify the State can be made. That is typical of closed undemocratic societies such as Russia, China, North Korea etc.
That is not what our Constitution contemplates. It promotes free debate and dissemination of Information. Moreover, the Supreme Court has stated that the threat to public order cannot be a valid ground to disallow a film.
It is the state’s responsibility to maintain public order. Moreover, the film does not in any manner promote violence against the state. It merely seeks to depict past events in which portions of the State authorities indulged in violence.”
It still remains to be seen what the verdict by the court is and what the status of the film will be to be released.
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Sources: India TV News, News18, Times Now
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