Our voice curtailed more & more everyday: Filmmaker Haravoo on docu being dropped from film festival
Bengaluru (PTI): With his 2021 documentary on the farmers' protest being dropped from this year's Bangalore International Film Festival, Kannada filmmaker Kesari Haravoo on Saturday said that for the last two years, "our voice was being curtailed more and more with every passing day."
"Kisan Satyagraha", Haravoo's documentary on the farmers' protest against the erstwhile three farm laws, was dropped from this year's Bangalore International Film Festival (BIFFES) after failing to get a clearance from the Information and Broadcasting ministry.
The 15th edition of the film festival was inaugurated on February 29 by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Films are being screened from March 1-7.
Haravoo said he came to know about his film being dropped from the festival only when the schedule was released.
"My film is there in the catalogue released by the BIFFES 2024. But when I checked the schedule, I could not find it, so I called the artistic director of the festival, N Vidyashankar, who told me that the film did not get clearance from the ministry of information and broadcasting and had to be dropped at the last minute. I find that our voice is being curtailed more and more with every passing day if wa say anything against the establishment," he said.
Festival director Thrilok Chandra K V said they were not given any reason for the decision by the I&B ministry.
"We must send all the films that we are showcasing for clearance. We sent 200 films to the ministry. Initially, six films did not get cleared. We sent them again, of which two films one from Haravoo and one from Ukraine (20 Days in Mariupol) were denied permission. Haravoo's film, being a documentary, did not have any certification," Chandra said.
But Haravoo said there is no rule that only certified films should be showcased at international film festivals in the country.
"Documentaries usually are not certified, and many such films have opened at the international film festivals," he added.
Meanwhile, reacting to Haravoo's post about the ban on his Facebook page, another filmmaker from Karnataka's Udupi, and former head of the direction and screenplay department of Annapurna College of Film and Media in Hyderabad, Ramachandra P N said I&B ministry has the authority to stop screening only when public order is disturbed.
"A few years back, the Kerala FF went to the courts and won the case in two of the three uncertified films that were not given permission. It took 6 months from the film festival for the courts to decide that. But the refusal order was termed as illegal as the reason given by the govt was the possible disturbance of law and order- which the court said that the state is duty bound to maintain. Point is--will the Karnataka govt go to the courts as its own freedom of expression is at stake? (sic)," he wrote.
In 2017, I&B ministry had banned the exhibition of three documentaries "In the Shade of Fallen Chinar" "March, March, March" and the "Unbearable Being of Lightness" at the 10th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK). The Kerala HC heard the writ petition filed by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, the organiser of the festival.
While "Unbearable Being of Lightness" talks about the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad, "March, March March" is about the protests at Jawaharlal Nehru University and "In the shade of Fallen Chinar" is a short documentary giving a glimpse into the lives of a group of young Kashmiri artists.
Ramachandra told PTI, of the three films, the court did not take a stand on the one on Kashmiri students. "But the other two films were allowed to be screened," he recalled.
Incidentally, in 2019 too, Kerala State Chalachitra Academy filed a writ petition against the banning of Anand Patwardhan's "Vivek/Reason" by the I&B ministry, again at (IDSFFK), stating that screening of the film could cause law and order problems. But the Kerala High Court held the Centre's claim cannot be upheld and that the screening was permissible according to the guidelines framed by the ministry.
Haravoo also said, a few years ago, when the Central government brought the rule that documentaries submitted for National awards must be certified, several filmmakers, including Patwardhan, protested and finally stopped submitting for the award.
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'Shameful, condemnable': Rahul slams police action against protesting BPSC candidates in Patna
New Delhi (PTI): Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi Thursday condemned the police action on protesting Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) candidates in Patna and claimed that the NDA government is "resorting to lathi-charging students" to hide its own failures.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also slammed the BJP over the police action, saying the ruling party's only vision is to save its chair and whoever demands employment is oppressed.
In a post in Hindi on X, Rahul Gandhi said, "I had said in Parliament that in the same way that Eklavya's thumb was cut off, the thumbs of the youth were being chopped off by paper leaks."
"The latest example of this is Bihar. BPSC candidates are raising their voice against the paper leak and demanding cancellation of the exam. But to hide its failure, the NDA government is instead resorting to lathi-charge on the students," the former Congress chief said.
"This is extremely shameful and condemnable. Playing with the future of students will not be tolerated. We are with them and will fight to get them justice," he said.
Chaos erupted during a protest in Patna on Wednesday over the alleged leak of a question paper of the December 13 combined preliminary exam conducted by BPSC, prompting the police to baton charge job aspirants.
Job seekers claimed that several protesters were injured during the police action but a senior officer denied the charge.
"Lathi charge on youths who had their hands folded is the height of cruelty. In BJP rule, youths demanding employment are beaten with sticks. Be it UP, Bihar or Madhya Pradesh - if youths raise their voice, they are brutally beaten," Priyanka Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on her WhatsApp channel.
"It is the government's job to think about the future of the youth of the world's youngest country and make policies for it. But the BJP only has the vision of saving its chair," she said.
Whoever demands employment is oppressed, the Congress MP added.
The Congress had condemned the police action on job aspirants, while Independent MP from Purnea Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav called for a Bihar bandh on January 1, 2025, if the December 13 combined preliminary examination is not cancelled.
The police registered a case against protestors in connection with Wednesday's incident. The protesters claimed that several job seekers were injured in the baton charge, which the police denied.
Video clips of the police action against job aspirants went viral on social media with some showing personnel chasing and beating up protesters, including women.
PTI could not verify the authenticity of the video clips.
Protesters were seen raising slogans against the BPSC officials and demanding the cancellation of the December 13 combined preliminary exam.
The job aspirants have been demanding the cancellation of the preliminary examination of the BPSC and have requested the commission to announce a fresh date for the test at the earliest.
