Director Sarath Chandra Bose refuses censor nod for film on gay couple

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The LGBT community all over the world got a boost after the legalisation of same sex marriage in the United States, but in India, the condition of the community remains pathetic.

Sarath Chandra Bose’s ‘Penile Code,’ a film screened at the 8th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala, is a visceral comment of the condition of people with alternative sexual orientation.

Bose, however, is not interested in getting a censor certificate either. “I know they will make cuts. So what is the point,” he asked.

The film speaks about the problems that arise in the life of a lesbian couple with the entry of another individual and also deals with the Supreme Court verdict that re-introduced section 377 of Indian Penal Code that criminalises LGBT rights. 'Penile Code' highlights the plight of the community through the life of a gay couple.

“This movie criticises the state and, therefore, I do not intend to get a censor certificate and I have other platforms like film festivals all over the world to show my effort to the public,” Bose said. The film was earlier screened at Cannes. “I’m not interested in making news stating that cuts have been made,” he added.

There is a scene that shows the couple smoking a cigarette and he is sure that for securing a censor certificate, he would have to put warnings which he considers to be a distraction.

Sarath had been thinking about how violence comes into a relationship when section 377 was re-introduced into the Indian Penal Code in 2013. The film is a critique of the government move and also highlighted the problem of violence in a relationship.

The movie had won the Innovative Film Award at the international competition of the YOUKI16 International Youth Media Festival.