‘Jannat 2’ banned on TV; DD rejects ‘I Am’
After a court ruling earlier this year against the telecast of ‘The Dirty Picture’ (2011), ‘Jannat 2’ (2012) is the latest to be affected, whilst Doordarshan India has rejected the telecast of ‘I Am’ (2011).
The Emran Hashmi movie has been granted a U/A certificate with a caveat that it can be aired on TV after only 23:00 when “most children under the age of 12 are either asleep or have parents at home to provide parental guidance”. When the film was released at cinemas in May, it was rated ‘A’ but for TV purposes, the board has ruled it can only be shown in an “adult” time band.
Talking to Times Of India, producer Mukesh Bhatt said, “I am moving the Tribunal. How can there be two different timings for films certified under one category. Agneepath, which has violence and was awarded UA, was telecast at prime time. And I have been given the graveyard slot?”
Meanwhile India state broadcaster, Doordarshan has rejected the transmission of the film ‘I Am’ (2011) because it does not have `U` certification. The critically acclaimed film produced by Onir expressed his anger at the decision, “These archaic laws will be the death of indie filmmakers like me. My film already has a `U/A` certificate and is good to go on satellite channels, so what`s this new rule for just one channel?”
“It`s a joke that Doordarshan needs a `U` certificate while all the other satellite channels are allowed to screen `U/A` certified films also. What makes me really angry is that TV programming has no censorship, but films on TV are discriminated against. The decision was taken by a review committee, which means I can`t even re-apply or present my case. Although there is a rule that says that all National Award winning films have to be shown on DD, apparently, they also have a rule that says your film has to have a `U` certificate. There is no concept of `U/A` or night slots on DD, which means despite the cuts, “I Am” can`t be screened on DD,” added Onir.
��I Am’ (2011) consists of four short, issue-based stories ��� ��Omar�۪ that talks about gay rights, ��Afia�۪ on sperm donation, ��Abhimanyu�۪ about child abuse and ��Megha�۪, which relates the tale of Kashmiri Pandits.
