‘Sexy Durga’ director moves HC against I&B ministry

Malayalam filmmaker Sanal Kumar Sasidharan has moved the Kerala High Court against the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and officials of the 48th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) for “illegal, arbitrary and unjust exclusion”of his movie S Durga from the final selection.

“I have filed a writ petition before the Hon'ble High Court of Kerala against this unprecedented, illogical and unconstitutional action taken by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting,” Sasidharan wrote in his Facebook page.

His film -- earlier titled Sexy Durga -- is one of the two projects that were among the jury recommended list for the Indian Panorama section of IFFI, but did not make it to the final list, approved by the ministry.

In protest against the exclusion, filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh, who led the feature film jury, resigned.

“The resignation of Sujoy Ghosh, the jury chairman, is a bold and courageous act,” said Sasidharan, who has mentioned in his petition that "the decision of jury is final and binding as per Panorama Regulations".

He said the ministry “has not understood the context and setting of the film”.

“The title is now amended as S Durga and the film has been given a U/A certification by CBFC, implying that there is no objectionable content in the film. Hence, there is no valid ground for excluding the film of the petitioner,” Sasidharan said.

According to the director, the petition “has been taken into file and posted for the respondents' reply” to Thursday.

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan will be inaugurating the 48th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), India’s biggest and Asia’s oldest film festival. SRK will make the official welcome address to all the delegates from across the globe, reported The Indian express.

Wept when I saw Nude: Sujoy Ghosh

Filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh says he was in tears when he saw Nude -- one of the two films excluded from the final selection for the Indian Panorama section of the 48th International Film Festival of India (IIFI).

Ghosh has resigned as the feature films’ jury head after Ravi Jadhav's Marathi drama Nude and Sanal Kumar Sasidharan's S Durga were reportedly removed from the recommended list.

In a call from New York where Ghosh is currently on a private visit, he said: “I've resigned from the chairmanship of the IFFI jury after this (the unceremonious exclusion of the two films). At the moment, I cannot say anything more.”

Prodded to comment on the merits of the two films, he said: “They are both very accomplished films. Nude is such a poignant and heartbreaking film. I wept when I saw it.”

Jury member Ruchi Narain added: “I am surprised and dismayed at the way the two films were dropped. Both the films were stunning cinematic experiences which the audiences at the Festival would have loved.”

Nude is about a nude model's dilemmas, while S Durga-- originally titled Sexy Durga -- is described as a film about how obsessiveness and worship can quickly degenerate in a patriarchal society into a mentality of oppression and abuse of power.

Karni Sena activists vandalise theatre in Rajasthan

On Tuesday, Karni Sena vandalised a theatre in Kota in Rajasthan after reports that it was showing a trailer of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's upcoming movie Padmavati.

The protestors from Karni Sena, an organisation of the Rajput community, pelted stones and broke windowpanes, gates and the ticket counter and also damaged some office furniture between 3.30 p.m. and 4 p.m. at the theatre in Akash Mall,” said Anand Yadav, Circle Incharge of Gumanpura police station.

They also shouted slogans against Bhansali. Police resorted to mild lathicharge to disperse the protestors and detained eight persons.

Though police did not confirm it, but Sena sources claimed that the protest was held as the theatre was showing a trailer of the movie.

With inputs from IANS