Anurag Kashyap slams protests around 'Phule'
NEW DELHI, Apr 17 (PTI): Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap on Thursday criticised the protests around the film "Phule", a biopic on social reformers Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule, questioning why films depicting caste issues get banned in India.
The director also criticised the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for modifications suggested to "Phule".
The biopic, featuring Pratik Gandhi and Patralekhaa in the roles of the reformist couple, was set for release last week but it will now arrive in theatres on April 25.
After the trailer of "Phule" was unveiled online on April 10, some members from the Brahmin community raised objections stating that they've been portrayed in poor light.
In a series of post on Instagram, Kashyap said the very first play of his career was based on the lives of Jyotiba and Savitribai Phule.
"If casteism didn't exist in this country, why did they need to fight against it?"
The makers of "Phule" on April 7 received a 'U' certificate from the censor board, which had asked them to make changes like removing terms such as 'Mang', 'Mahar' and 'Peshwai'.
The modifications also included the visual of 'man carrying a broom', which has been replaced with 'boys throwing cow dung balls at Savitribai', and the line '3000 saal purani gulami' being changed to 'Kai saal purani'.
Kashyap noted that not just "Phule" but Sandhya Suri's "Santosh" and "Dhadak 2" are reportedly also facing censor trouble.
He added Diljit Dosanjh-starrer "Panjab '95" and Dibakar Banerjee's "Tees" to the list of movies that are finding it difficult to release in India.
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Prime organiser of Messi event in Kolkata arrested over ‘mismanagement’ after stadium chaos
Kolkata (PTI): The police on Saturday arrested Satadru Datta, the prime organiser of the Lionel Messi football event at Salt Lake Stadium here, following widespread chaos at the venue, which prompted the Argentine World Cup-winning captain to leave the field early.
Taking suo motu cognisance of the stadium unrest, Datta was held by the Bidhannagar Police for “mismanagement” of the event from the Kolkata airport, where he had gone to see off Messi and his entourage on their way to Hyderabad.
"We are looking into whether there was any mismanagement from the organiser's side, which led to the chaos at the stadium. He has been detained, and the police have now brought the situation under control," West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar said at a press conference.
A senior police officer later confirmed that Dutta has been arrested. Till reports last received, the police were interrogating him and his manager inside one of the departure lounges of the airport.
The organiser has given in writing that he will refund the prices of tickets he sold to the disappointed spectators, Kumar said.
What was supposed to be a marquee football spectacle turned into widespread violence and disorder at the stadium after Messi’s brief and tightly ring-fenced appearance, his first at the venue since 2011, left large sections of the crowd frustrated, as they failed to catch a glimpse of their superstar despite having travelled from far and wide, paying hefty sums for tickets.
Police said they were also investigating how organisers allowed sale of bottled waters and beverages inside the stadium premises, which are banned items during such events.
Thousands of water bottles were used as missiles and lobbed inside the pitch by angry spectators, who also uprooted bucket seats from the gallery and used them as ammunition inside the field against the defending police and security personnel.
Spectators alleged that water bottles were being sold at a massive premium inside the stadium despite police disallowing such items from outside at the entry gates.
Police agreed there was an underlying tension in the galleries on account of Messi not showing his footballing skills on the field, which only got aggravated after a bunch of VIPs, including State Sports Minister Aroop Biswas and unidentified people, blocked the football icon’s view during the limited time he spent on the ground.
“We are on the job, and will ensure that whoever is responsible for what happened today at Salt Lake Stadium will be punished, and action will be taken against the authorities concerned,” said Jawed Shamim, ADG, Law and Order.
