KOLKATA: After Sujoy Ghosh’s resignation as the jury chairman of Indian Panorama, Satarupa Sanyal has blasted the I&B ministry for removing two movies selected by a 13-member jury for the Indian Panorama section of the 48th International Film Festival of India (IFFI). “This is an insult to the Indian democracy,” said Sanyal, who is part of the 13-member jury.In an article dated October 18 on the Indian Panorama, Media had highlighted how Ravi Yadav’s Marathi film titled ‘Nude’, Prasad Oak’s ‘Kachcha Limbu’ and Sanal Kumar Sasidharan’s Malayalam film titled ‘S Durga’ have generated interesting discussions when the jury members were deciding on the selections. A source had then told Media: “There is full-frontal nudity in ‘Nude’. It hasn’t been censored as yet. The film is about a nude model in an art college. It remains to be seen if the ministry agrees to screen ‘Nude’ and the controversially-titled ‘S Durga’ in the Indian Panorama.”
The apprehensions had come true and both ‘Nude’ and ‘S Durga’ never made the cut in the final list. “On October 14, we had submitted the list. Fifteen days after that, the ministry announced the final names. They dropped two movies from our list without any consultation with us. This is extremely humiliating for us,” Sanyal said.
The director is particularly in favour of these two movies because she feels they are extremely pertinent in today’s times. “Both the films are against patriarchy. As a feminist, I want these movies to be included,” she said.
Sanyal isn’t in favour of tendering her resignation. “I don’t see any point in tendering a resignation now. I want those two movies included in the Panorama. Whoever took the call to drop these movies needs to have a dialogue with the jury members and explain why they were dropped. Arbitrary dropping them is unconstitutional. Jury members had gone to perform a national duty. Today, we are faced by a barrage of questions. Why are we being put through this?” she asked.
Bureau Report
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