Report by Santanu Ganguly: New Delhi: There is dire need for change in the grading system of films for certification as things like violence and even romance are being seen by children on television and other sources, actor Sanjay Suri said today.
In fact, he wondered why Doordarshan refused to show films that have been certified by the Central Board for Film Certification as U/A and a private television channel can show it.
Suri was addressing a press meet for the film ‘As the River flows’ by Bidyut Kotoky who was also present. While Suri plays the central role, the film also stars thespian Victor Banerjee and Raj Zutshi.
The film is generally inspired by the true story of Sanjay Ghosh, a journalist who went missing in the troubled areas of Assam for almost seven years before news came about him.
Bidyut said though no one from Sanjay’s family had seen the film, a person had come to him after the show and told him that she would be talking to the family about the film.
He admitted that he had taken mainstream actors in his film to reach out to larger audience. Asked about release plans, he said the rights are with the National Films Development Corporation which was expected to release the Assamese version soon and the Hindi version later.
He said that most films dealing with difficult subjects are made several years after the events they are over. This may be the reason why films on Kashmir or the northeast are getting to be made only now.
Sanjay agreed but said filmmakers needed to be more courageous to deal with such subjects as the audiences were looking for new subjects and there was a place for a different kind of cinema.
Bidyut said he had been inspired to make the film because he had always wondered why people in the country knew so little about the northeast. He also wondered about the complete change in the lifestyles in Assam and Pune where he did his course at the FTII. But he wanted to make a film that would bring a balance and not appear negative.
Sanjay agreed and said it was astonishing now people in Kashmir often asked Hindus whether they had come from India, when the state was a part of the country.
Sanjay said he was open to regional films and said he did not face too much difficulty mouthing some Assamese as his character was that of an Assamese brought up in Mumbai and speaking Hindi or English.
He said there were logistic problems while making the film in Assam, and the crew even had to escape one night when a grenade blew up nearby.
Bidyut said he had been asked not to speak about his subject matter as that may prove dangerous. The film was finished in 2009 but he had faced other problems before getting certification.
Credits: orissadiary.com