Just when the heightened controversy around Udta Punjab was fading away, another Anurag Kashyap production has run into trouble with the CBFC over “objectionable content”.
It’s the much-awaited Nawazzuddin Siddiqui-starrer Haraamkhor, which tells a delicate love story between a student and a teacher.
The censor board has refused the film a certificate because of the “theme itself”. It says in India, a teacher is a revered figure, and thus there is an issue with the depiction of a love affair between a student and teacher in a country where a teacher is worshiped and idolised.
As per a report in TOI, the CBFC letter stated, “There are many filthy dialogues spoken by kids and body gestures of the kids were also found to be objectionable. Kids committing crime etc does not merit any certificate to the film. Hence, ‘refused’ because of its theme itself.“
The filmmakers have now decided to approach the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal to challenge the decision.
The film that premiered in the 15th annual New York Indian Film Festival and Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA), is directed by Shlok Sharma and collectively produced by Kashyap and Guneet Monga under the Sikhya Entertainment banner.
But unlike Udta Punjab, the filmmakers don’t see court coming to their rescue in the wake of a problem.
In an interview with Huffingtonpost, Guneet Monga said,
“A court battle with the Censor Board in the vein of Udta Punjab is not an option for them. “It’s a small, mostly crowdfunded film,” she says. “We don’t have the resources to go and fight this out in the courts.”
Many took to twitter to criticise the decision and took at a dig at the censor board.
#UdtaPunjab just makes it to release and another gets into the same situation. This moral policing needs to stop, now #Haramkhor
— Avishek Chakravarti (@avishek24) June 19, 2016
Now @anuragkashyap72 s #HaramKhor refused Censor Certificate.Its a story about a student falling in love with the teacher. -2-
— Ashoke Pandit (@ashokepandit) June 19, 2016
And for those of you who thought we were free to express after HC judgement- BAM ! CBFC surprises us yet again. #Haramkhor
— rahul dholakia (@rahuldholakia) June 19, 2016
more stupidity from CBFC if they assume Haramkhor the movie is unsuitable. best film I’ve seen this year (at Mami)
— manishalakhe (@manishalakhe) June 16, 2016
#Nihalani‘s double standard ‘Andaz’, denies certificate to #Nawazuddin -starrer ‘#Haramkhor‘https://t.co/piuhOP7KAF pic.twitter.com/AkLWNuEAcn
— India Samvad (@india_samvad) June 16, 2016