15 October,2009 06:56 AM IST | | Manju Shettar
Film-makers in Bangalore are furious that the information and broadcasting ministry is suggesting changes to a script about the 'romance' between Jawaharlal Nehru and Edwina Mountbatten
Film-makers in Bangalore are upset about the government trying to modify the script of an English-language film that portrays a romance between Pandit Nehru and Edwina Mountbatten.
Actor Irrfan Khan stars opposite Cate Blanchett in Indian Summer, based on a book of the same name.
Outlook magazine reported last week that the information and broadcasting ministry was looking at the script, and had demanded that intimate scenes be downplayed.
Not everyone is convinced national hero Nehru had a sexual relationship with the pretty wife of a British viceroy.
Nayantara Sehgal, author and Nehru's niece, said on a TV show that people who thought the two had a sexual relationship would only be "conjecturing".
In Bangalore, award-winning film-makers said the government was trespassing into artist territory by trying to change the script.
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Controversial: Indian Summer is based on a book by London-based historian Tunzelmann |
Tough role: Irrfan Khan, who plays Nehru |
Here's what they told MiD DAY:
B Suresh, now directing a Kannada film on communal strife
I think the ministry has a hypocritical mind, and does not believe in democracy. These problems are not new.
They have objected to several films... It is a dangerous trend that we allow people to censor films even before they are made. The best example is Water, during the shooting of which director Deepa Mehta suffered a lot.
Artistic expression is important and we should fight these restrictions. Director Patwardhan's film Raam Ka Naam wasn't approved by the censors at all but he fought for it.
When my film Artha was released in Shimoga, I got threat calls. Some people spread wrong information about the film in Mysore. My friends protected me from violence.
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Jayamala Chairperson, Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce
There is nothing wrong about what the ministry is doing. Nehru is a national leader and people see him as a role model. We should show his achievements instead of his private life. It is not wrong to pre-empt the making of such a film. Strong people can win at the censor board because there are many loopholes in our law.
At our film chamber, we ask filmmakers to give us a synopsis when they come to register their titles. If we suspect the film may send out a wrong message, we don't give permission at all.
Kavitha Lankesh, director of Deveeri, critically acclaimed film about a prostitute
I don't know why the ministry asked for the script... it shows their prejudice. Every one has a right of expression. We see the same problem in Iran. We are growing globally but our mind is going very silly. I faced some problems while censorship for Avva and finally they gave it an A certificate.
People behind the film
Historian Alex Von Tunzelmann, who lives in London, is the author of Indian Summer, The Secret History Of The End.
The film portrays the romance between Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Edwina, wife of Lord Mountbatten.
Hugh Grant will star as Lord Mountabatten, and Cate Blanchett as Edwina Mountbatten. Irrfan plays Nehru.
Joe Wright (The Soloist, Atonement) is the director.
