Modi film release delayed

A tribute to Chief Minister Narendra Modi in the form of a film, Gujarat No Nath, will not be out before elections.

A tribute to Chief Minister Narendra Modi in the form of a film, Gujarat No Nath, will not be out before elections. The Censor Board played truant with the film’s release, first finding objections in its first viewing and then sitting over it for over a month.

The film was cleared by a wider committee of the Central Board for Film Certification (CBFC) two days ago, but producers say with little time left, it would not be possible to release it before elections—their earlier plan.

Produced by Ranmal Ahir, a Surat-based builder, and directed by Vadodara-based award winning director Ajitsinh Jhala, the film was sent to the board two months ago, so that it could be released just ahead of elections.

The CBFC’s Mumbai Regional Officer, Vinayak Azad, when contacted said the first committee of four members had referred the film to a wider committee of seven members usually headed by one of the board members. It met on Saturday and cleared the film. “I do not know the first committee’s objections, but the second committee thought the film can be released,” Azad said.