Independent films are at the vanguard of auteur-driven cinema in India but market forces, ideas of public morality at play, film certification and political compulsions may be shrinking their space.
Tamil indie film-maker Leena Manimekalai’s latest film, Maadathy – An Unfairy Tale, which is a story of sexual assault faced by a minor girl from the Puthirai Vannar caste (the most oppressed Dalit caste), has been in a tug of war with the CBFC.
The film-maker says that she has appealed to the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal in New Delhi about the ‘unfair’ cuts in her film.
‘Certify not censor’
Speaking about her frequent run-ins with CBFC, Ms. Leena, who has two feature films and several documentaries to her credit, said, “In Maadathy, I have been asked how a minor girl could nurse an infatuation. I was asked to remove some lines too. Though I am ready to accept an ‘A’ certificate, CBFC is there to certify the film, not censor it.”
In her detailed 14-page reply to CBFC opposing the committee’s decision, Leena says that the film-certification should ensure that artistic expression and creative freedom are not unduly curbed. The reply also goes onto argue that creative calls made in the film are grounded in reality.
While the appeal puts a strain on Indie film-maker’s limited resources and time, the lack of film certification also prevents the film-makers from participating in major Indian film festivals, and they are unable to monetise it via over-the-top (OTT) platforms.
“When it comes to Indie films that are perceived to be critical of social issues or the political establishment, the OTT platforms will not buy anything without a censor certificate. This makes it inaccessible to millions of Indian viewers,” she said.
Leela Meenatchi, Regional Officer, CBFC, refused to speak about Maadathy as it is still under consideration but clarified that every film is certified by a committee, not just the Regional Officer.
Speaking specifically about whether CBFC has the right to remove scenes despite certifying it as ‘adults’ only, Ms. Leela said, “There have been instances wherein a film-maker decided to cut obscene dialogues or violence to get U/A. At the same time, we cannot allow everything – such as nudity or sex scenes – just because the film is certified as ‘A’. There are certain limitations.”
Edgy content
Suriya Narayanan, south content head, ZEE5, said that OTT platforms are not put off by movies with edgy content.
“We have films such as The Accidental Prime Minister on our platform. But, yes, films that released in movie theatres will have a certification,” he said.
He added, “In the next 10 months, we have lined up a number of indie films,” he said.