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.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
UT with dual power structure 'worst form of govt', says Omar Abdullah
Srinagar (PTI): Terming the current administrative structure in Jammu and Kashmir the “worst form of government”, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has called for an urgent shift toward full statehood while acknowledging that significant progress has been made in narrowing differences with the Centre over the transaction of business rules.
The chief minister also hit out at vested interests making efforts to create a political wedge between Jammu and Srinagar, saying “they have failed and they will continue to fail”, and highlighted the restoration of the traditional biannual shift of the capital known as ‘Darbar Move’ as a vital bridge in narrowing the emotional divide between the two regions.
Speaking with PTI, Abdullah argued that the logic behind treating a territory with 90 elected legislators on par with smaller regions like Puducherry, which has only 30, remains incomprehensible, and reiterated his earlier stand that a dual power system where two power structures exist is a "recipe for disaster”.
“Can you not see the difference between a tiny one with 30 MLAs and one with 90 MLAs? And you still believe that this current system is beneficial to Jammu and Kashmir after everything that happened last year?” the chief minister asked while referring to the Pahalgham tragedy, pointing out that keeping elected representatives out of the law and order situation was doing no good.
He specifically noted that the size and scale of Jammu and Kashmir demand a governance model where the elected representatives are fully responsible for administration.
“I continue to maintain that view. I continue to believe that a system of Union territory with an assembly is by far the worst form of government that you can come up with,” Abdullah told PTI here recently.
The chief minister highlighted that several key institutions, including universities, the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, and the Power Development Corporation, should have automatically come under the domain of the elected government.
“I am not even arguing on the central services, law and order, and police. As a Union territory, those are automatically within the domain of the unelected government. But these were institutions that were previously the responsibility of the elected government. And they should be,” Abdullah said.
Despite these friction points, Abdullah expressed optimism, stating that his government and the Government of India are close to reaching an agreement on the rules of business and that a formal proposal for the appointment of a new advocate general has finally been dispatched to the appropriate authorities.
“Again, as I said, we have made significant progress on these issues,” he said.
On the long-standing issue of summary dismissals of government employees without judicial inquiry, Abdullah described the process as arbitrary, opaque and unlikely to withstand judicial scrutiny.
This practice did not originate with the current lieutenant governor's administration but was initiated during the previous BJP-PDP coalition government, he said.
“Look, everyone has the right to prove their innocence. For some reason, these employees were not given that opportunity. And I have no doubt that going ahead, many of these people will return to government service on the back of relief from the court.
“We will not be able to defend the dismissal of these employees in the courts. It will happen, you mark my words, because the process is arbitrary. The process is opaque. There is no clarity and transparency in the process. Ultimately, we will not be able to bear up to judicial scrutiny," he said.
Referring to the promises made by his party, the National Conference, Abdullah detailed the operationalisation of his poll promises, including 200 units of free electricity and six free cooking gas cylinders for the poorest households, underlining that power subsidy is being provided to the poorest of the poor.
He argued that anyone above the poverty line should pay market rates for electricity to ensure that state resources are prioritised for the most vulnerable.
“Rich people shouldn't even be getting subsidised electricity. If I could, though obviously I can't do it in a single stroke, I would like to remove subsidised electricity from all these rich people.
“Anybody above BPL (Below Poverty Line) should not be paying subsidised rates for electricity. They should pay the market rate,” he said.
Beyond direct welfare, Abdullah highlighted the restoration of the ‘Darbar Move’ and the introduction of free education and bus travel for women as key milestones in his 20-month-old administration.
Speaking on the composite culture of J-K, Abdullah said the traditional biannual shift of the capital has allowed a new generation of employees from Jammu, who had never worked in the Valley before, to bond with their Kashmiri counterparts.
“The distance between Jammu and Kashmir has reduced to a great extent,” Abdullah said, adding that the two regions historically come together during times of adversity, whether after natural disasters or security crises.
Replying to a query on Kashmiri Pandits who migrated to various camps in Jammu, Abdullah said the question needs to be asked of the BJP as to why they are still in camps.
“Please ask the BJP how many more elections do they want to exploit their (Kashmiri Pandits’) votes before actually doing something to bring them back,” Abdullah said.
Terming the migration “deeply unfortunate”, Abdullah said, “We want those who left in the late 80s, early 90s, to come back. I have always maintained that they left because their sense of security was snatched away. They will come back only when that sense of security is restored. And we have not been able to do that so far.”
Crediting former prime minister Manmohan Singh for building the Jagti township in Jammu for migrants and creating a job quota for them, Abdullah said that nothing more has been done for the community since then.
To a question on dynastic politics following the recent defeat of M K Stalin in Tamil Nadu, Abdullah dismissed the idea that the defeat of established leaders is a verdict on their lineage, and argued that belonging to a political family only "opens a door" but does not guarantee a seat at the table.
“What keeps it open is your own performance,” Abdullah said, pointing out that even non-dynastic leaders like Mamata Banerjee faced electoral setbacks.
He also dismissed rumours of an imminent Cabinet reshuffle in J-K as “absolute lies”.
