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Filmmakers who draw scripts from real-life episodes are becoming easy targets of publicity seekers, says Derek Bose
Now give them a Haji Mastan (as Yash Chopra did with Deewar) or say, Maya Dolas (Shootout at Lokhandwala) and they will promptly lap it up. Regardless of the kind of cinema these characters lend themselves to, there’s something about operating on the wrong side of law that forever fascinates us. The makers of Dayavaan, Godmother, Company, Miss Anara and Ab Tak Chhappan, to name a few, understood this peculiarity of the Indian psyche and made a killing out of it. So have the censors. They have, in fact, gone a step further and included real-life incidents for special treatment. A film like Bombay or Black Friday (both based on the Mumbai riots of 1993) cannot be expected to pass through the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) without being mercilessly butchered. Thus, when Ramgopal Varma met Raj Thackeray (of Mumbai-for-Maharashtians fame), before submitting Sarkar Raj to the CBFC, nobody was surprised. Varma was only playing safe. He knew he had a winner (what with three Bachchans leading the cast) in his hands, but needed to be doubly cautious lest goons from Raj’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena play spoilsport with the film later. In effect, Varma, like any other filmmaker who gets too close to reality, has to deal with the problem of dual censorship — one by the CBFC and the other by the lumpen proletariat.
Varma’s cause for concern is the antagonist of his film, Sanjay Somji. The character, played by newcomer Rajesh Shringarpore, appears as a fiery, young politician with spectacles, clearly fashioned on Raj Thackeray. According to unit members, the resemblance is "not just physical, but in spirit too". Luckily for Varma, Raj did not make much of a fuss. He needed 25 minutes of viewing time before giving his nod to the film. Many, many filmmakers have not been as lucky. From Mahesh Bhatt (Zakhm) and Shekhar Kapur (Bandit Queen) to documentary directors Anand Patwardhan (Ram Ke Naam), Tapan Bose (Beyond Genocide) and Rakesh Sharma (Final Solutions), anybody who gets uncomfortably close to reality ends up paying a heavy price. Historically, the most notable case is that of Gulzar’s Aandhi in 1975, which was pulled out of the theatres a good two months after release as it was creating a "law and order" problem. The real problem was, however, not lost on anyone. Not only did the heroine Suchitra Sen resemble Indira Gandhi (complete with grey patch on her hair), many of the scenes in the film were drawn out of the prime minister’s personal life. And that was Emergency time. Today, Sonia Gandhi and Mayawati are resisting attempts from various quarters for films on their lives. Since they can have no control on the content, there is no telling when and how some skeletons come tumbling out of their closets. Truth, after all, can be very bitter for those in power and they would stop at nothing to scuttle any attempt to pursue it. Should you somehow manage to get past this stage, there can still be no guarantee that your film would have a smooth run in the theatres. Any ragtag group of troublemakers can disrupt its screenings. In the circumstances, the only hope a filmmaker can have is to trust the local cops. But cops can be notoriously more loyal than the king and have yanked off films from theatres in "anticipation" of trouble. The CBFC can do nothing about this as it draws its authority from the Centre whereas law and order is a State subject, constitutionally. This is the new reality Bollywood filmmakers are waking up to. They always knew the CBFC to be a necessary evil they would have to live with. But they had not bargained for being soft targets of rogue elements seeking instant publicity by piggybacking on their works. The reason is Bollywood has suddenly become so big in scale and reach that the mileage gained by anybody disrupting screenings is huge. Many political outfits in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat have been launched by indulging in such mischief in full television glare and gaining instant legitimacy. We have seen the damage they did to Aaja Naachle, Taare Zameen Par, Jodhaa-Akbar. And these were films not even remotely connected with a living personality. What would happen if a biographical were to be made on say, Bal Thackeray or Jayalalitha`85 or Narendra Modi? Just banish the thought.
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INDIAN film audiences do
not have much of an appetite for biographicals on venerable national
leaders. Give them Gandhi, Sardar Patel or Bhagat Singh and the
response will always be lukewarm.
