CPI hosts Final Solution screening

The Communist Party of India threw open the gates of its headquarters at Ajoy Bhavan today for a private screening of Rakesh Sharma’s c...

The Communist Party of India threw open the gates of its headquarters at Ajoy Bhavan today for a private screening of Rakesh Sharma’s controversial film, Final Solution, which has been banned by the Censor Board. The film documents the changing face of Gujarat against the backdrop of the Godhra riots and its aftermath. The Censor Board had first denied the film a preliminary screening. Then, its members had rejected the film after agreeing to a screening on July 26. Accusing the board members of injustice, Sharma has threatened to take his film to the masses directly.

The Centre has the power to overturn any Censor Board decision and Sharma is hoping that I&B Minister Jaipal Reddy would take an ‘‘objective view’’ of the film. ‘‘The film needs to be seen by everyone,’’ he said today.

The filmmaker is planning to meet Reddy, armed with a petition bearing the signatures of eminent personalities, who have joined in the battle against censorship. About 3,000 people, including Shyam Benegal, Sunil Khilnani, Admiral L. Ramdas, Aparna Sen, Govind Nihalani, Ashutosh Gowarikar, Karan Johar, Farhan Akhtar, Teesta Svetalvad, are part of the movement.

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It was at this year’s film festival on documentaries in Mumbai, that the ministry under the NDA regime had taken the decision to make a Censor certificate mandatory for all films taking part in the festival. Earlier, films for private screening and film festivals did not require a certificate from the Censor Board.

Filmmakers interpreted the move as censorship, while the ministry insisted that certification was necessary to put a date on film. Strangely, foreign films were exempted from the rule.

Voicing their protest, filmmakers organised a parallel film festival, Vikalp, that travelled to select cities. Reddy, it is learnt, has indicated that it was not possible to change the rules at the last minute.