Director of Malana film hits back at critics

In a strongly phrased rebuttal to allegations that the documentary promotes cannabis trade,Datta invited social thinkers,bureaucrats,politicians,academicians,students and common people including O P Sharma and Vivek Mohan to Malana for a debate on his work.

Mohan,the creator of another National Award-winning documentary on Malana called Malana – In Search Of,had criticised Datta for practising pseudo-activism in the name of making documentaries.

“Let us organise a screening in Malana in the presence of all and also the media to prove that the film has different objectives that benefit the people of Malana rather that what my adversaries have alleged,” he wrote,claiming that the Bom-Bom Charitable Trust was created to assist in reaching out to Malana villagers.

Datta said that ‘Bom – One Day Ahead of Democracy’ had had a successful run of 17 screenings from June 18 to 25 at Shimla’s Gaiety Theatre and had received an overwhelming response.

“We have created an example by running ticketed shows at Gaiety for the first time in its history. On request from the principal of a reputed school,we even had to organise a special screening for her students,” Datta said.