PANJIM: Against the backdrop of the controversy dropping the screening of two Indian films at the ensuing International Film Festival of India (IFFI), followed by resignation of filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh as head of jury of IFFI’s Indian Panorama section, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said one film did not have a censor certificate while the other was passed without the required “cuts”.
“Marathi movie ‘Nude’ is not a complete film. Even if a film is selected, it has to be complete and obtain a censorship certificate, which has not been fulfilled in the present case. Unless all the procedures are adhered to, the film cannot be screened. This is the reason ‘Nude’ has been rejected,” he told reporters in reply to a question over the controversy ahead of the 48th edition of the festival.
On the exclusion of Malayalam movie ‘S Durga’, Parrikar, who is also the chairman of the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) – nodal agency to host IFFI – said the film was dropped to avoid hurting the sentiments of any community.
“I inquired about this movie also. I was told the film was a part of two festivals – MAMI in Mumbai and Kerala Film Festival – but it was shown after adequate cuts to ensure there is no eruption of religious sentiments and creation of problems. It was submitted to IFFI without any censorship, that is why the film was removed to avoid any controversy,” he said.
Overruling the recommendations of the 13-member jury, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry pulled out the two films from the Indian Panorama section at IFFI, slated to be held in Goa from November 20-28.
‘S Durga’, which was earlier titled ‘Sexy Durga’, is a road movie that follows the horrifying experience of two hitchhikers, a man and a woman, at the hands of two men. It won the Hivos Tiger Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam 2017 while ‘Nude’ depicts the struggle of a woman secretly working as a nude model in Mumbai.
