After facing severe criticism from the court for its insistence on excisions and moderations in films such as “Chaayam Poosiya Veedu” [the painted house] and “Udta Punjab”, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is allegedly complicating the certification of another film “KaBodyscapes”, which has a strong gay love story but also discusses civil liberties, sexual choices and the societal demands on women.
The board had refused to certify the film in April, frowning upon what it considered were “sensitive gay scenes, use of derogatory words against women, and vulgar dialogues” and referred it to a revising committee headed by its chairman Pahlaj Nihalani.
Two months later, it has now arbitrarily cancelled the review screening at the eleventh hour. “The CBFC had shifted the revision committee screening to Chennai, but dragged its feet on fixing a date. On June 30, we were informed that the screening should be done on July 5 and as stipulated by it, we submitted all necessary documents besides a copy of the film in DCP format to Real Image Media Technologies Pvt. Ltd. so as to enable its screening at Four Frames Studio owned by director Priyadarshan in Chennai. However, on July 4 around 7 p.m., the regional officer of the CBFC informed us over the phone that the screening was cancelled owing to the non-availability of an expert who understands Malayalam,” laments Jayan Cherian, maker of the film.
The film’s poster had earlier invited the wrath of right wing elements for its ostensible reference to the monkey god Hanuman.
While Mr. Cherian’s notice to M.M. Mathialagen, Regional Officer of the CBFC in Chennai, remains unanswered, he is contemplating sending a legal notice to the CBFC to expedite the certification process.
“We only want them to issue a certificate to screen the film in public and are sending them a legal notice. If they delay it any further, we will move the High Court seeking relief,” says Vijay V. Paul, Mr. Cherian’s lawyer.
Mr. Mathialagen, while choosing not to respond to a mail sent by The Hindu , messaged that the “certification is an administrative process related to the CBFC and the producer concerned… not a news (sic)”.
“What can I do if the language expert is unavailable? The job has been assigned to me and the expert is out of station,” he said.