Beyond Padmavati: Another case of Regression by I&B Ministry

"People can judge for themselves. I am not making films for the Indian government. Clearly, the information and broadcasting ministry does not agree with these sentiments expressed by SK Sasidharan, whose film Sexy Durga, modestly renamed S Durga, has been knocked out off the Goa film festival. The film had been cleared by the jury as had been another film, Nude, which did not meet with the approval of the I&B mandarins.

This has led to the resignation of the international film festival jury chairman and renowned filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh. 👏 Another jury member Apurva Asrani has resigned too, while S Durga's director, Sanal Kumar Sasidharan has moved the Kerala High Court against the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and officials for "illegal, arbitrary and unjust exclusion" of his movie from the final selection. Apurva Asrani had tweeted: "Sexy Durga&Nude are among the best of contemporary cinema. They both present a powerful and empathetic portrait of women of today's India.

Several Iranian films on homosexuality, a topic which is considered off limits in the country, such as Be Like Others and Circumstances, have made it big at international films festivals like Sundance.

Films, as also other creative works, should only be judged by their quality. They should not be subjected to the moral standards of those who have no expertise in the matter. Viewers both in India and abroad deserve to see the best of Indian cinema. Dropping these two films denies the audience this opportunity.