Yet another controversy seems to be brewing around the Central Board of Film Certification.
Film-maker Saijo Kannanaikal has now accused the board of blocking the release of his debut feature film Kathakali by denying it certification.
On Saturday afternoon, Saijo and a few others sat in protests holding placards at the Kairali theatre, where the International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala is being held.
Director’s version
According to him, the board has denied him a certification citing nudity towards the end of the film. “The censoring committee had recommended the film for certification. But the censor officer insisted that we cut the final portion of the film which shows the protagonist relinquishing the Kathakali attire and walking nude towards the Bharathapuzha. The film would be meaningless without that final shot,” says Saijo.
Censor officer’s stance
However, according to the Regional Censor Officer Prathibha, the film-maker had not given the board the request letter for the film to be considered for ‘A’ certification.
“The committee had said that ‘U’ certification can be given to the film on condition that the particular scenes showing nudity are cut. But, the film-maker does not want to cut the film. If we have to take this forward, he has to give us a request letter asking the film to be considered for ‘A’ certification. He has not got back to us with such a letter,” she says.
Saijo, an auditor with the Co-operation Department, says that he has taken steps to move the High Court against the board.
The Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) has also come out in support of the filmmaker.
He says that he had made the film to depict the elite nature of Kathakali and to its inaccessibility to those in the lower strata of society.
A recipient of the State government’s ‘Most efficient differently-abled employee’ award in 2014, he had earlier made a music video titled ‘Lottery vilkkana Josephettan’, which was screened at a previous edition of the IDSFFK.
