Director Ganeshan of Porkalatthil Oru Poo fame tells DC that he is going to the court to get justice
.jpg "Porkalatthil Oru Poo banned for release?")
A still from Porkalatthil Oru Poo
Films like Santhosh Sivan’s Inam, Leena Manimekalai’s Sengadal and John Abraham’s Madras Café were all dragged into controversies when it came to censorship because the films dealt with the many facets of the Sri Lankan crisis. The recent film to be added to this list is the Tamil movie Porkalatthil Oru Poo, directed by K Ganeshan. The film is based on the real life story of a Sri Lankan Tamil television journalist Isaipriya, who was allegedly abducted, raped and killed in captivity by the Sri Lankan armed forces in 2009. The film has been denied a censorship certificate by the CBFC. When Ganeshan appealed to The Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT), the film was banned for release in India.
“I belonged to Tamil Nadu but am currently settled in Bengaluru. I have directed six Kannada films. Porkalatthil Oru Poo is my debut in Tamil. I wanted the world to know about the struggles of Sri Lankan journalist Isaipriya. The idea of making this film originated after the Tamil Nadu Assembly passed a resolution against Sri Lanka in 2013. Dhanya, a debutante actress has portrayed the role of Isaipriya and maestro Ilaiyaraaja has composed the music for the film. After I completed the movie last May, I sent it for censorship and I was denied a censor certificate. Later, I also applied with CBFC who refused to certify on the grounds that the film could strain ‘friendly relations with foreign States’. I am going to the court to get justice,” Ganeshan said.
Fighting for his freedom of expression, the director has once again sent for censors with the FCAT at Delhi and this time around he was put in a quandary. “They asked me to remove certain scenes and abiding their request, I did remove the objectionable scenes and once again resent it. But much to my shock, they asked me to chop off the scene, which portray the Tamil Nadu Assembly passing a resolution against Sri Lanka. I didn’t budge this time. So, they not only refused a censor certification but banned the movie as well,” he said. I have no choice but to go to court and fight for justice, heconcluded.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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