Scheduled to premiere on television on Sunday,National Award-winning film The Dirty Picture was not allowed to be telecast following viewer complaints. The movie was to air on Sony Entertainment channel at 12 noon and again at 8 pm. But instead the channel ran a ticker on the screen stating that the telecast has been cancelled and the inconvenience is regretted. The films director,Milan Luthria,said the move followed a directive from the Information and Broadcast Ministry to the channel and production house Balaji Motion Pictures on Saturday evening that the film be telecast after 11 pm. It stated the ministry had received complaints from viewers who felt the film has objectionable content. We spent two months to prepare a version fit to telecast on television. We worked closely with the Censor Board for both film and television. The film was re-edited with 59 cuts and content worth eight and a half minutes was taken out, rued Luthria. The re-edited version was certified U/A (to be viewed under parental guidance) by the Central Board of Film Certification and also cleared by the television body,International Broadcasting Federation (IBF). The Dirty Picture won three National Awards and the ceremony is in a weeks time. Is it not ironical that the film is not being allowed to air on television? quipped Balaji Motion Pictures CEO Tanuj Garg. Luthria added,On one hand the government commends our work and on the other tells us that the film is not fit to be viewed by the countrys citizens? While the channel,IBF and members of the industry were unavailable for comment,sources close to the filmmakers and Sony Entertainment said the distress is caused more by the fact that the ministry chose to inform them a day before the telecast. The publicity for the television premiere has been on for close to three weeks. The papers and certificates have been there all this while. Advertisers,sponsors are also part of the equation. If there were concerns,the makers should have been informed in advance, the source added. The issue has outraged a large section of society,especially the film industry,which feels the decision to pull back the film is akin to denying citizens and artistes freedom of expression. A National Award-winning film cannot have a national telecast? This is plain hypocrisy! wrote Karan Johar on Twitter. Many other celebrities also used the social networking website to express their outrage.
