Month: April 2015

If wishes were horses, then we would be given a little more time to celebrate the sublime before we are forced to once again condemn the ludicrous. But that is clearly not to be, and less that five days after the Supreme Court’s verdict in the Shreya Singhal case striking own Section 66A of the IT Act, we are gifted the latest act of farcical banning by the cent...

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) recently banned the release of Unfreedom, a film which features a lesbian relationship, on the grounds that it will ignite ‘unnatural passions’. It also follows a parallel track where a liberal Muslim girl is kidnapped by terrorists, apparently something which the board objected to. Besides knocking on the doors of High Court, ...

The ban on 'Unfreedom' shows us that India has only become more regressive in the two decades since 'Fire' released. India must be the only country where economic progress is inversely proportional to liberalism. Depressingly, this is reflected in our laws, drawn from the antiquated British penal code - from the Victorian era - and applied with few amendments today. Homosex...

“We will soon be living in a world where everybody is frightened to say anything truthful” Rattling many cages and waking up silenced skeletons, Unfreedom is India’s banned film. Boldly provoked are issues of honour, shame, being Indian and LGBTQ, terrorism, violence and control. The film powerfully portrays a number of different lives that may seem very different ...

Actor Adil Hussain, whose film Un-Freedom failed to get a certificate for release in India, today said banning the same sex love story was "baseless". Un-Freedom, directed by Florida-based director Raj Amit Kumar, is a thriller that chronicles a lesbian love story set in New York and New Delhi. Adil plays the father of the Indian protagonist in the movie. "It does...

Under fire for ‘banning’ a film that explores homosexuality, Censor Board of Film Certification chairman Pahlaj Nihalani on Tuesday clarified that the film, Blemished Light, was refused a certificate during the previous regime and that he was “unnecessarily being pulled into controversies” due to some “malafide interests.” While the filmmakers have expressed outrage over the...

          Florida-based director Raj Amit Kumar’s debut film Un-Freedom, starring Adil Hussain and Victor Banerjee in key roles espousing homosexuality, has been banned in India. The 36-year-old director is the latest who has hit out at the certification process in recent times. Disappointed, at being unable to get the ...

Academy Award-winning sound designer and BAFTA awardee Resul Pookutty was in Kolkata recently to attend a seminar on sound of StageCraft Foundation at ICCR. In an interview with HT, Pookutty opens up on his long association with Kolkata, Ritwik Ghatak and how the sound of the Ambassador car still fascinates him. Excerpts: You have done the sound designing for Leslee U...

Days after India voted against gay rights for the United Nation employees, a film called Unfreedom which explores homosexuality, has been banned by the CBFC. The film is the story of a young girl who resists a forced arranged marriage to unite with her lesbian partner. The nudity and lovemaking scenes of the female protagonists, irked the Board. Add to it a parallel stor...