Even as the issue pertaining to the rejection of certificate for Babu Eshwar Prasad’s Gaali Beeja is plaguing the regional office of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), questions are being asked about CBFC’s objections to B. Suresh’s Devara Naadalli.
Devara Naadalli was not screened at the 7th edition of the Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes) in December because of the alleged delay in getting the CBFC certificate.
The filmmaker told The Hindu that he had applied for the certificate on December 1 in order to be able to screen the movie at BIFFes but the film was viewed for certification only on December 15. “Besides issuing a U/A certificate, the board suggested a major cut,” he said.
Mr. Suresh said that though he had approached the revision committee on December 16, the film was yet to be reviewed.
“I don’t know the reason for the delay, but the CBFC has cleared and reviewed films submitted after Devara Naadalli ,” he said.
The film has no controversial issues or scenes depicting violence while it delineates social issues.
“If justice is denied even by the revision committee, I will approach the tribunal and will not compromise. I will retain the cut that is crucial for the film,” Mr. Suresh said.
InspirationAccording to the filmmaker, Devara Naadalli is inspired by a report published in a daily in 1998 and is based on an incident that took place in a coastal town of Karnataka. The film stars Prakash Raj, Achyut Kumar, Mandya Ramesh, and Manu Hegde.
When contacted, CBFC regional officer M. Nagendra Swamy asserted that the cuts were suggested as the film dealt with communal issues.
“The examining committee members objected to the panel discussion where a media survey points at a particular community for a bomb explosion,” he said.
Denying an inordinate delay in certifying the film, Mr. Nagendra Swamy said the movie was submitted to CBFC on December 3 for certification.
As there were more than 60 films in the line for certification, the board followed the procedure and watched it on December 15.
