New Delhi, March 27: Globally acclaimed Hindi film “Santosh”, Britain’s official entry at the Oscars and one of the most talked about titles last year, may not make it to Indian theatres following hurdles in its censor certification.
Though there was no official comment from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), a member termed it “a classic case of gross disagreement” between the producers and the board. “They are unrelenting. They want zero modifications, and CBFC wants the modifications. They went to the revising committee for the second time, made more modifications, and lost their January release date… there has to be a middle ground,” the member told PTI on condition of anonymity.
“Santosh”, directed by British Indian filmmaker Sandhya Suri, known for documentaries such as “I For India” and “Around India with a Movie Camera”, is a police procedural thriller set in north India. The film, starring Shahana Goswami and Sunita Rajwar, was initially set for an India release on January 10.
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A co-production between United Kingdom, Germany and France, it revolves around a widow who gets her late husband’s job of a police constable. She and her senior inspector are soon sucked into a high profile investigation into the rape and murder of a Dalit teenager.
“Santosh” premiered in the Un Certain Regard category at the Cannes Film Festival in May last year. In India, it was showcased at the Mumbai MAMI film festival and the Dharamshala International Film Festival. It was named UK’s official Oscar entry last year but failed to make it to the final five. The film’s distribution in India is being handled by PVR Inox Pictures.
In an interview with The Guardian newspaper, Suri said the censor board in India demanded radical cuts so lengthy and wide-ranging that they would be impossible to implement. She said the list of cuts included several pages and including concerns about themes relating to police conduct.
“It was very important to me that the film is released in India so I did try to figure out if there was a way to make it work,” said Suri.
“But in the end it was just too difficult to make those cuts and have a film that still made sense, let alone stayed true to its vision,” she told the newspaper. Goswami, who plays the lead role in the movie, said she never thought it would run into a problem.
“It is disheartening… The changes are not something that we feel comfortable to make because it would alter the film. I think that’s just a decision that’s got made by elimination… it’s nobody’s desire to not have the film come out here. But at this point, that’s kind of where it stands. I do feel sad about it,” Goswami told PTI.
“Santosh”, she said, does not target any particular person or a group but presents the reality of society.
“There’s no reason why this film should create any difficulty,” she said.
CBFC member, filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri, has come out in support of the movie. “I don’t know about the cut list. I’m against banning any kind of creative work. My films have been cancelled,” the director, known for controversial movies such “The Tashkent Files” and “The Kashmir Files”, told PTI. He said “Santosh” is a highly-acclaimed film and he is looking forward to watching it. (PTI)
