Delayed ‘Phule’ to clear controversy, already complied to CBFC amendments: Director Ananth Mahadevan
Mumbai, Apr 12 (PTI): “Phule”, based on the lives of social reformers Jyotirao Govindrao Phule and his wife Savitribai Phule, has been delayed due to objections raised by the Brahmin community and not because of the censor board suggested amendments, the film's director Ananth Mahadevan said on Friday.
The biopic, featuring the “Scam 1992” star Pratik Gandhi in the central role and Patralekhaa as his onscreen wife Savitribai Jyotiba Phule, was set for release this Friday but it will now arrive in theatres on April 25.
The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had issued ‘U’ certificate to the makers on April 7 and had asked them to make changes like removing terms such as 'Mang', 'Mahar' and 'Peshwai', the visual of 'man carrying a broom' was to be replaced with 'boys throwing cow dung balls at Savitribai', and the line ‘3000 saal purani gulami’ to be modified as ‘Kai saal purani’, among a few other things.
"They had suggested some amendments, I wouldn’t call it cuts. I want to clarify that there are no cuts as such. We did so. They felt that the film should be watched by youth and everyone and it’s very educative. I don’t know why this whole storm of conflict and counter arguments are happening, I think it's a little exaggerated and unnecessary,” Mahadevan told PTI.
After the trailer was unveiled online on April 10, some members from the Brahmin community raised objections stating that they’ve been portrayed in poor light.
Maharashtra-based organization Hindu Mahasangh's President Anand Dave expressed his displeasure after watching the trailer of “Phule”. He said it is unfair to only “highlight the not-so-good things” about the Brahmin community.
"The trailer shows a Brahmin boy throwing cow dung at Savitribai Phule. We understand that we need to show the good and the bad. But we can’t see the good things done by the community, like how Brahmin people supported Mahatma Phule. It is unfair to show only the bad things done by Brahmins.
"If they want to earn money by showing casteism, then it’s not right. People across India and globally will not think of the Brahmins in a good way. When we expressed our disappointment to Ananth Mahadevan he said, ‘He has not done any injustice to the community, and has sought 15 days of time from us’,” Dave told PTI.
Mahadevan asserts the “Brahmins got carried away by a two-minute trailer” but there is nothing objectionable in the movie.
“I’m a Brahmin myself, and I would not malign my community. I want everyone to calm down and understand that we’ve made a film that is supposed to inspire and change. When they see the film they will understand but all this can’t be shown in a two-minute trailer, we can only show dramatic snippets,” he said, adding that there was no plan to show the movie to the Brahmin community before its release.
Mahadevan said the reason behind the release of “Phule” being pushed is to clear the controversy surrounding the film
"They had put their views on social media and then other people also said, ‘Why are Brahmins protesting? The protest started between two groups, we wanted to calm them down, and tell them that, ‘It has nothing what you people are imagining’.
"We did not want to lose out on the audience... I would rather they come together and see the film peacefully. So, the producer and the distributor got together and thought, ‘Let’s postpone it for two more weeks and clear all the controversies, talk to the media and let it reach them’.”
A social media user expressed his disappointment about how films based on caste issues like “Phule”, and “Santosh” face hurdles.
“Movies on figures like #Savarkar or #SambhajiMaharaj get released without much resistance. Films glorifying so-called great Savarna icons face no hurdles, but when it comes to movies like #Phule or #Santosh—which aim to show the harsh realities of caste discrimination—they are constantly met with opposition, delays, or outright censorship.
"The irony is painful: the same casteist hypocrites who suppress these stories are the ones who claim that casteism no longer exists in India, their actions speak louder than their privileged denial,” the post read.
Another user, who is a screenwriter, wrote, “For anyone who wonders why it is almost impossible to make a good and truthful Hindi film, what is happening with the Phule film is an excellent example."
“Phule” is backed by Content Engineers and Dancing Shiva Productions.
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Baramati plane crash: Rohit Pawar alleges attempts to shield VSR Ventures
Mumbai (PTI): NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar on Wednesday alleged that someone was trying to save VSR Ventures in connection with the plane crash that killed Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, and claimed that the AAIB preliminary probe vindicated the doubts earlier raised by him.
He also accused VSR company of indulging in several grave lapses in the past.
The Learjet 45 aircraft, operated by VSR Ventures, crashed near the Baramati air strip in Pune district on January 28, killing Pawar and four others.
In its 22-page preliminary report on the VSR Venture's Learjet plane crash, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said the visibility at the time of the crash was below the required level. It also flagged about fading marks on the runway and presence of loose gravels on the runway surface.
Pawar said, "I am not against VSR or the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Ajitdada was travelling in a VSR aircraft. Unless we go into the depth of every aspect, we will not know the truth. But someone is trying to save this company. The doubts we had raised have been proven correct in the inquiry report."
He also claimed that the AAIB report contained discrepancies, including mentioning Baramati as a district, and questioned how seriously the probe had been conducted.
Pawar, who has been regularly holding press conferences to raise issues concerning the Baramati plane crash, also contested the report's conclusion that the aircraft hit trees before crashing.
"The report says the aircraft struck trees and then fell. But there are no trees at that spot. There is only a small bush which the aircraft did not even touch. What is stated in the report about hitting trees is incorrect," he said.
Pawar further alleged that VSR Ventures had displayed irresponsibility on multiple occasions, citing an incident involving the then chief minister Eknath Shinde's Davos visit on January 20, 2023.
He claimed that the aircraft carrying Shinde had entered Iranian and Iraqi airspace without overflight permission, following which fighter jets from the two countries allegedly warned of action, forcing a change in route from Bahrain to Zurich.
"There have been several such grave lapses by VSR," he said.
Pawar demanded to know from where VSR Ventures derived its "audacity", and sought details about its investors and officials, though he added that he was not personally concerned with who they were.
Drawing a comparison, he said the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had taken over the probe into actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death within two days, whereas a month had passed since the Baramati crash without a similar action.
He claimed that VSR Ventures had two directors and three shareholders, and that there were eight common names across two related companies.
He further alleged that the owner of VSR was related to the Union Civil Aviation Minister and questioned why the company, though registered in Delhi, had made high-value investments in Jubilee Hills (upscale area in Hyderabad) at rates allegedly Rs 17 crore above the market price.
The MLA representing the Karjat-Jamkhed assembly constituency in Ahilyanagar district also raised concerns about the legal and institutional framework of the AAIB under the 2017 rules, claiming it was neither a statutory nor an autonomous body and remained answerable to the secretary and the minister, besides being attached to the DGCA.
"There is no independent investigative agency," he alleged.
