Producers of film refuse censor cuts

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Brothers Santosh Babusenan and Satish Babusenan, directors of ‘Chaayam Poosiya Veedu’ (The Painted House), have refused to comply with the Central Board of Film Certification’s demand for the “deletion or blurring” of nude scenes from their film. Without a CBFC certification, the filmmakers will not be able to show the film anywhere in the country and enter it for selection to the Indian Panorama.

“The CBFC has asked us to either blur or delete three shots where a character is shown in the nude. We have refused both the options as it amounted to an infringement on the freedom of artistic expression,” the filmmakers said.

A CBFC source said the demand was made on the basis of CBFC guidelines. “The filmmakers were unwilling for a compromise,” the source said. The filmmakers will now be served a show-cause notice.

Still, it is not the end of the road for the brothers. “They can apply for a review before a larger committee,” the CBFC source said. The filmmaker duo said that the censor officials had conceded that the nude scenes were germane to the film. “However, by passing these scenes, they did not want other filmmakers to use this as a precedent to start shooting nude scenes,” they said.   

The filmmakers are aware of the consequences. “It means that we cannot show our film anywhere in India and enter it for selection to the Indian Panorama of the IIFI Goa 2015, where selectors with foreign festivals come to scout for Indian films. Such CBFC guidelines that transgress freedom of expression and stifle filmmaking in India should be changed,” they said.

‘Chaayam Poosiya Veedu’ is written, photographed and directed by the brothers and features Neha Mahajan, Kaladharan Nair and Akram Mohammed in the lead.