SANAL SASIDHARAN, director of the film S Durga, handed over the Vimeo link of the film’s censored copy and the censor certificate to Sunit Tandon, director of the International Film Festival of India, Goa, on Saturday evening as per Kerala High Court’s order to let the jury for Indian Panorama section watch the censored version and take a decision on its screening. Sasidharan, who arrived in Goa earlier in the day, said: “I don’t know why my film and I are treated like stray dogs. My film has represented the country in 50 international festivals and won 10 awards. I don’t know if it is about me or the fact that my film shows bitter truths of the society.” Sasidharan had received a mail from Tandon on Friday night, asking him to submit the film’s copies and documents. With the festival closing on November 28, Sasidharan wants IFFI to arrive at a decision soon and schedule the film’s screening. The censored version retains the length of the movie — 90 minutes, 43 seconds — as there has been no visual cuts. The film has received a U/A certificate and undergone 21 audio cuts. It has been retitled S Durga from the earlier Sexy Durga. IFFI spokesperson Manish Desai said, “We are following the procedure and trying to schedule the screening once the jury gives its verdict.” Sasidharan said many films come to festivals without being censored —- “in fact, viewers go to festivals to watch films in their original version” — and that at first he thought he was “fighting with the system”. Later, however, “I realised it is not the system, it is about petty ego between the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and the filmmaker. It should not be like this.”
