Amidst CBFC's demand to censor words from Sen's interview in The Argumentative Indian, director Ghosh makes known his intent of releasing the film online, without any cuts.
Director Suman Ghosh to release Amartya Sen documentary online
Mumbai - 17 Jul 2017 12:46 IST
IANS
National Award winning filmmaker Suman Ghosh plans to release his documentary on Nobel laureate Amartya Sen online in a couple of months, he stated amidst the censorship controversy. The film will include the four words that the Central Board Of Film Certiifcation (CBFC) has objected to.
The Argumentative Indian, originally scheduled to be released on 14 July, was refused the green signal by the CBFC over Sen's use of words such as 'cow', 'Gujarat', 'Hindu India' and 'Hindutva'.
The hour-long documentary, structured as a free flowing conversation between Sen and his student and Cornell economics professor Kaushik Basu, has already been screened in New York and London. The controversy began with a special screening in Kolkata on 10 July. CBFC officials in Kolkata verbally asked Ghosh to mute at least four words, including "cow" and "Gujarat", from Sen's interview in the film.
"I will do that (release the film online). I have some screenings organised abroad so I can't release it before that. It will take a couple of months. It will be there in its entirety," Ghosh said during an interview with IANS news agency.
Ghosh unveiled a link to a 141-second trailer of the documentary on Friday via his Facebook page. The trailer link was posted on YouTube earlier in July.
However, it is being reported that CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani has termed the trailer post "illegal".
"I have to find out though... if he (Nihalani) is objecting to the trailer... whether a new law has been created in India where online content also has to be certified, so I have to find those out. But definitely, I can release it all over the world," the filmmaker said, adding the trailer was prepared much in advance, before the documentary came under the CBFC's scanner.
In the aftermath of the censor trouble, Ghosh has had no dialogue with the CBFC yet.
"No. I am waiting for them to send me some official letter and I believe because of this controversy and everything, they are also scrutinising it. I will get an official letter from them, what they have told me verbally they will write and give it to me officially... that is the next step," he added.