This is a movie ‘banned’ not by any government but by cinema owners in the country, who feel it is their right to decide which films viewers should see and which they should not. They might not have succeeded in banning it outright, but they could ensure that viewers don’t get to see it.
Last week, the Cinema Owners, Exhibitors Association of India (COEAI) decided not to screen Karan Johar’s film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil in the States of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa and parts of Karnataka, because it starred a Pakistani actor. This, however, is not a ban restricted to a single film, but will include all films that have Pakistani actors, and the decision will be extended to other parts of the country as well. In Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, the actor concerned is Fawad Khan, who apparently has done no wrong to deserve a ban, except that he happens to be a Pakistani citizen.
COEAI, a constituent of the Film Federation of India (FFI), said the decision to ban films with Pakistani actors was taken ‘keeping in mind the patriotic feeling and the national interest’ but did not venture to explain what this patriotic feeling was and what national interest a ban of films starring Pakistani actors could have. It even goes further to state that no film with Pakistani actors will be released until ‘relations between India and Pakistan become normal’. Given the tensions that exist in the country today, relations between the two neighbours aren’t going to change for the better anytime soon, so the ban on films with Pakistani actors could last a long time, unless somebody in the COEAI has a change of heart.
While the film industry in the country is divided over the ban, FFI has distanced itself from the decision and some film personalities have slammed it, a few quick reactions on the COEAI decision from Goan film makers and film buffs, also saw that here in Goa they too were deeply divided. While one film maker said he appreciated the decision of the COEAI and that he would not watch the film, another pointed out that banning films would not solve anything. His view was that films were a form of art and should be appreciated for that reason. This is something that Goa, which has been hosting the International Film Festival of India every year since 2004, should have learnt by now – that films are an art form and like any other art form their content should be valued for the creativity and not other extraneous reasons. With a month to go before the State hosts another IFFI, it needs to realise that politics cannot come in the way of films and art.
Admittedly, relations between India and Pakistan, right from the time of the Uri terror attack last month and India’s surgical strikes this month, are strained at the current point of time and not improving. India has even backed out of the SAARC summit forcing its postponement, and there was another terror attack on India last week. So people’s feelings are definitely not too friendly towards Pakistan. But the question that needs to be asked and answered is: Why only films and Pakistani actors? If at all there is any ban on working with Pakistanis it should apply to all industries and it should come from the government. A single body – in this case an association – just cannot decide what is patriotic and in national interest. Let not these decisions be taken by a body of cinema owners. Let the government decide on such questions, after a debate in Parliament where the elected representatives of the people have had their say.
