After Marathi film Zenda was forced to postpone its release, Mahesh Manjrekar’s Shikshanchya Aiyacha Gho is likely to run into trouble over the title.
School Education Minister Balasaheb Thorat feels that the title may create a negative image of the education sector. He said the Censor Board for Film Certification (CBFC) should consider reviewing the title. The film releases this week.
“As a citizen, I protest against the name as it may create a negative image about education among parents and citizens in the state,” Thorat said in Latur on Saturday.
Some organisations like Maratha Mahasangh have also objected to the title saying that it is abusive.
But, Mahesh Manjrekar defended the title saying, “Marathi speaking people should know that ‘Aiyacha Gho’ is not necessarily derogatory term,” he said.
Manjrekar said, “If we cannot implement in real life what we study in our school books, what is the use of such education. School curriculum has become just a theory and exams meant for mugging up the lessons. The film attempts to portray how the present education system is wrong.”
He said during 2004-2007, there were 1,600 incidents of students committing suicide. Manjrekar said he has tried to highlight the wide gap between the present day school curriculum and the needs of today’s youth.
Meanwhile, Zenda , a Marathi movie based on the feud leading to the split in Shiv Sena, has remained unreleased after Maharashtra Revenue Minister Narayan Rane’s son alleged that the movie showed his father in a poor light.
The incidents bring to the forefront the issue of political censorship, which had become a topic of hot debate when MNS chief Raj Thackeray forced an apology out of filmmaker Karan Johar for referring to Mumbai as ‘Bombay’ in his film Wake Up Sid .