Strife on a Metro

Kolkata Metro demands the removal of a scene from Sujoy Ghoshs film,Kahaani,claiming that it shows the rail service in a bad light.

Soon after promos of Kahaani were unveiled in January,they went viral on the Net. A two-minute video of the suspense thriller,with snapshots of Kolkata deftly capturing the spirit of the city during the Durga Puja festival,it held the attention of the viewer. The suspense mounted as the trailer drew to a close. What especially pushed up its popularity was the last scene that shows Vidya Balans character,a pregnant Vidya Bagchi,being pushed off the platform of a Kolkata metro station onto the tracks.

This is the very scene that now finds itself at the centre of a new controversy. Kolkata Metro has objected to its inclusion in the promo and the film. Protyush Ghosh,deputy general manager and spokesperson of Metro Railway,Kolkata,explained,On February 24,we came to know through YouTube that the promotional trailer of Kahaani had a sequence where a male character was pushing a female character off the platform at Kalighat station while a train is approaching. We immediately sent a written objection to the director asking him to remove the scene,which projected the Metro in a bad light.

The objection,it is being said,stems from various incidents of suicide that take place on the Metro tracks. The Metro official adds that the director has promised to remove the sequence from the trailers both on TV and the Web. This scene was executed through computer graphics and not shot. Sujoy has also committed to show the authorities the scene by Wednesday in order to iron out the situation.

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The director,however,clearly wishes to play down the controversy. Terming the situation as a minor issue,he added that the matter is being sorted out between the concerned parties. His decision to shoot Kahaani not only on location but also in real-time,was intended to highlight the main protagonist Vidya Bagchis desperation to find her husband in a city that is revelling in the festivities of Durga Puja.

There is nothing to worry about. It is a scene that takes place as part of a dream sequence. We will soon take a call on it. Also,the scene wasnt shot at the station but was generated on the computer, he says. Hence,the filmmaker acquired all the formal consents,including those required from Kolkata Metro.

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