The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) has officially denied censor exemption for the screening of Anand Patwardhan’s documentary Vivek (Reason), which highlights the murders of rationalist scholars by Hindutva extremists, at the ongoing 12th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK).
In a communication to the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, the organisers of the festival, on Monday, the Ministry said that the screening of the film would “cause law and order issues”. Earlier, the Ministry had delayed providing exemption for Patwardhan’s documentary alone, demanding a “more detailed synopsis” of the film. The organisers had postponed the screening of the documentary, which was selected for the long documentary competition at the festival to the last day, on the hopes of procuring clearance before that.
Officials said that the Academy would approach the Kerala High Court on Tuesday to counter the Ministry’s decision. Films screened at festivals did not require a censor certificate but needed a censor exemption from the Union Ministry for them to be screened. In 2017, three documentary films selected for IDSFFK, which were similarly denied censor exemption, were screened later, after the Academy obtained a favourable order from the High Court.
The four hour-long film focusses on the attacks on secularism and rationality in recent years.
Published - June 25, 2019 08:43 am IST
