2011
saw a bold, dirty picture winning a string
of accolades, critical acclaim, box office success, while minting loads of
monies! Vidya Balan starrer The Dirty
Picture was to make its Television Debut on Sunday on Sony TV, a leading
entertainment channel. Well, last heard… the screening was stalled last minute by
the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, Government of India. The directive
from the Government is that the film has adult content and can be telecast only
on the late night or the non-prime time spot (post 11pm). Also reported was the fact that the makers of
the film spent over 2 months re-editing the movie with more than 50 cuts for
the television version. All this to get the screening stalled at the last minute!
I saw
the film on the big screen in the first week of its release and I can safely
claim that content-wise it is average. I say average because the filmmakers
missed capturing the life of the average, southern siren Silk Smitha and rather
focused largely on the oomph and glamour surrounding the roles she was famous
for. Whether it is a true account of her life continues to be a subject of
several debates! What stood out, however, was the rather bold move by actor
Vidya Balan to have chosen the role and played it with aplomb, thereby making
the movie memorable and hatke for
certain!
All
good so far… My curiosity really begins at the hypocrisy over stalling the screening last-minute after all the hype and hoopla surrounding it. Here’s
why:
- Few months ago, this very ministry (I&B Ministry), which decides on the National Film Awards, presented the Rajat Kamal for Best Actress to the protagonist of The Dirty Picture, Vidya Balan. If the film was not suitable for viewing in public, at home, then why bestow its lead actor with a “NATIONAL” award? The film could have easily been cornered and ignored!
- If this movie was cleared by the CBFC or the Censor Board (which, surprisingly, is also a part of I&B Ministry) for public viewing in theatres, why this ban for television viewing? This means either the Censor Board is a pseudo body or people who would go to a theatre to watch films do not account for ‘the TV viewing public’ in the country!
- Having watched the film, I am convinced that there is nothing in the film which is not seen by the Indian audiences on a daily basis, prime time or no prime time!
If
this is a case of the mighty moral policing, then this common man, yours truly,
has a few very simple questions…
- Why any form of censorship is completely ignored when it comes to the frivolous content of leading prime time television shows, both fiction and non-fiction, which are “meant” for family viewing?!
- Most importantly, why bestow a National Award for movies like The Dirty Picture in the first place? By way of giving a national award for best actress, the Government certifies that a performance par excellence merits viewing and telecasting. So why these double standards suddenly?
With
several infamous instances of crime, scandals, hypocrisy, not to forget the
notorious porngate scandals, no moral police, I believe, has the right to
question what the public likes to and wants to watch in the confines of their
homes.
On a
closing note, television viewing is purely a question of personal choice and self-restraint. With the television and satellite TV, was invented something called the 'Remote Control' that can be used to switch channels or switch the TV off!
In this case, let’s just hope that
the public gets a chance to at least understand why this ban and the logic
behind this dirty picture of hypocrisy.
