What’s in a name, said Shakespeare. A lot, if popular Marathi filmmaker Ravi Jadhav’s new film Nude is anything to go by. It has been rejected by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting from the list of 26 feature films selected by the 13-member jury for the Indian Panorama at the International Film Festival of India, 2017, which kicks off in Goa on November 20.
Jadhav’s film had been selected unanimously, and the jury had also suggested that it be the opening film for the Indian Panorama. Jadhav is unclear on what could have gone wrong. His hunch is that the Ministry has gone by the title and rejected it outright, without even bothering to watch the film. Sanal Kumar Sasidharan’s Malayalam film S Durga, whose title had earlier been changed from the original Sexy Durga, too has met a similar fate, having been struck off the final list after being selected by the jury.
Jadhav says he can’t have another title, Nude is apt for the subject. It is about nude modelling, a nude model’s dilemmas, how she can’t disclose her profession to her son.
“Why would an eminent jury appreciate my work and back it unanimously? It is an emotional film in which we have handled the subject artistically, with a lot of dignity,” he says.
“S Durga and Nude are among the best of contemporary Indian cinema. Never attempting to titillate, they present a powerful and empathetic portrait of women in today’s India,” says jury member and award-winning film editor and scriptwriter Apurva Asrani.
An email regarding the approved films received by the jury members from the Ministry on November 9 had no mention of Nude and S Durga. Instead two standbys suggested by the jury — Odia film Khyanikaa and Assamese filmXhoixobote Dhemalite — found a place. The email did not give any explanation for removing the two films from the final list.
The I&B Ministry spokesperson and the Festival Director of IFFI did not respond to messages enquiring about the reason for Nude being dropped.
