V Gowthaman's film on freedom gives a jolt to cops

Chennai: Short film maker V Gowthaman, who directed ‘Vetti’, (dothi) was summoned by the Chennai police on Tuesday morning, for an enquiry regarding the movie which questions the concept of freedom, stress for a separate state and also discusses atrocities faced by Tamil ethnic group during the Sri Lankan civil war.

“A person identified as inspector with his office functioning from the second floor of the city police commissioner’s office called me in the morning and asked me to present myself at his office by 4 pm Tuesday. He said some scenes of the film has insulted the national flag. Later he called to ask the possibility of meeting somewhere else. He then called again to say there was no need for any kind of enquiry,” said the director when this newspaper contacted him. “I am not sure what is their next course of action,” Gowthaman added. He believes that he didn’t cross the limit of his creative freedom.

A senior city police official however down played the incident saying that they had not summoned the filmmaker, who had earlier made a TV serial on slain forest brigand Veerappan. However, later in the day the director was asked by the sleuths not to come in for enquiry.

The 22-minute short film is about a very old man, who had participated in India’s freedom struggle, telling a group of young kids that this was not the freedom which was promised at the time of independence struggle.

Sandwiched by flash back of freedom struggle and supported by good background score, the movie takes a bold look on the concept of freedom.

“Why should I be an Indian if the government is not protecting us? Has the government done anything to protect the fishermen being shot at sea? In such situations what is wrong in somebody asking for a separate nation?” said Gowthaman, reflecting the views of the lead character in his short movie, which he had made for department of media science, Loyola College.

The film ends with the character walking off saying that he would hold the flag when he gets a nation for his people.