Why has JSK – Janaki Vs State of Kerala not been issued censor certificate, HC asks censor board
The producer firm of the film that stars, among others, Union Minister of State Suresh Gopi had approached the High Court, citing delay on the part of the CBFC in issuing the certificate. The CBFC's counsel informed the court that its objection was to the name of the film's central character, Janaki, which is another name for the Hindu goddess Sita. Also, explicit language was used while referring to women.
Certificate for teaser
Wondering why the name of the character – a commonly used name — has to be changed, the court observed that many Indian films having names of gods, goddesses and religious figures in the title had been granted censor certificates in the past. There were movies like Sita aur Gita. No one had any complaints then. The film's producer firm said that the CBFC had issued a censor certificate for the same film's teaser trailer.
The revising committee of the CBFC had on Thursday asked the makers of the film to change the title of the film as well as the name of the protagonist. It had been reported that the Thiruvananthapuram regional office of the CBFC had cleared the censoring of the film on June 18 with a U/A certificate. However, when the regional office forwarded the same to the CBFC headquarters in Mumbai, the officials there demanded a change in the title as well as the name of the titular character of Janaki. It was also conveyed to the makers through unofficial channels that the victim of a sexual assault cannot be named after a goddess. The revising committee met after the makers of the film approached the Kerala High Court, alleging delay.
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Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
Kal Penn at Express ADDA: ‘When it comes to race and identity, Hollywood can be fairly regressive'
Kal Penn on navigating identity politics in Hollywood, working in the White House and the changing goalposts over the years. He was in conversation with Anant Goenka, Executive Director, The Indian Express Group. The fact that you are wearing a suit and not a hoodie is, in a sense, an expression of identity. If I can go a step further, you took the decision to call yourself Kal Penn and not by your full Indian name (Kalpen Suresh Modi). I was born and raised in New Jersey and did my undergrad at UCLA. I studied theatre, film and sociology. I was also starting out as an actor. This was around 1998-99 and when you move to LA, you try to find an agent as soon as possible. You try to get somebody to represent you so you can go for professional auditions while pursuing your education. I had saved up for one round of head shots and a resume. And one night in college, a couple of my friends jokingly said, 'You should come up with a screen name.' They mentioned Whoopi Goldberg. It is not her birth name. Her real name was Karen Johnson. Then one of them said, 'What if you split your first name in half? So, it's Kal Pen, but add an extra N. And that extra N stands for 'not going to play a stereotypical role.' And I was like, 'Oh, that's kind of fun.' Let me send this out with that new batch of head shots and see if anything changes. Nothing really changed. The simple answer is that when you start working as an actor with whatever screen name you use, you sort of stick to that name. I've never changed my name legally. Obviously, today I don't think I would have made that same calculus, which is wonderful. It shows you how much the goalposts have changed. Identity today is complicated. For instance, Priyanka Chopra was getting baited because, in a reel, she chose a hot dog over a vada pav. Is it something that you have to think about? No. I'll give you an example. But before that, let me just say, I stand on the shoulders of so many Indian and South Asian diaspora actors who kicked down the doors for me in Hollywood. I feel like we have always had to be careful about things. The food question is a funny one because a few years ago my manager asked: 'Do you want to be on Master Chef?' So it's like a cook off, between you and another actor and you raise money for charity. And in one of the pre-ins, they were like: 'What's your favourite food?' I said, 'Oh man, tacos. I would love to cook tacos.' They were clearly disappointed. And they go, 'Do you think you might cook a chicken tikka masala?' I was like, 'Oh, I see where you're going with this.' To me, it's the silliness of it — are you not allowed to love other things? People will always project their own likes, dislikes, insecurities and that comes with the territory. I just try to laugh it off. But do South Asian actors have to think about just how much to assimilate versus how much to differentiate? For instance, Sofia Vergara and Salma Hayek wear their origin on their sleeves. I know I couldn't possibly weigh in on somebody else's experience but I get your question on what does your authenticity mean. I did a film Van Wilder, where I played a fairly stereotypical Indian exchange student. It's your early 2000s teen sex comedy. So for this, my agent called me, very excited. And like any other profession, in the late '90s and early 2000s in Hollywood, you need credits on your resume for anybody to take you seriously. She explained to me that it's really hard if you're not White or Black at that time, especially because there are very few credits you can get on your resume. Nobody was going out of their way to cast you unless a role at the time was specifically written for an Indian or Indian-American. So I asked for the script and the name of the character. 'The name of the character is Taj Mahal,' she said. I hung up on her. She called me back and explained again, 'Look, build a resume and get your foot in the door.' Long story short, I auditioned for it. I took the job. I worked with the writers and the director on trying to find jokes that weren't just based on the guy's name or where he's from. But even 20 years later, I get this question a lot: 'On a scale of one to 10, how much do you regret doing that project?' But if I had not done Van Wilder, I would not have had the chance to do Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle. One of the reasons that I got that part ultimately was because I was the only one on the short list who had had a studio film credit. And had I not done Harold and Kumar, I would not have had the chance to do The Namesake, which still today is probably my favourite project. Mira Nair was a role model when I was a kid. She was one of the catalysts for me being an actor. The reason I got that audition was because I wrote her a letter. In it, I said: 'Look, The Namesake is an incredible book. You have to let me audition.' And it just so happened that her 14-year-old son, at the time, you know him as Zohran Mamdani, who will hopefully be the next mayor of New York. He was a fan of Harold and Kumar and apparently was telling Mira every night, 'Mom, you should audition Kal Penn' and showed her clips. She apparently watched them and and then got my letter and said, 'Okay, what the heck. Because of Zohran, I have to let him audition at least.' I grew up thinking that neither Hollywood or Washington were accessible to me. I saw them as monoliths that people, who were like me, were not allowed to access Fascinating, so, Zohran is the reason you got The Namesake. I got the audition. But all of these questions about identity, it's, of course, easy to look back and wish my first job was like a Chris Evans-style jumping out of a helicopter with a machine gun saving good guys film. But, look at me. That wasn't going to happen in 2000. It might not even happen today. But I have absolutely no regrets because I'm so glad for the trajectory. I'm glad for how the goalposts have changed, how much Hollywood has evolved and I'm really proud of the roles that I've had the chance to play. Are all things artistically beautiful? Is there objectivity? Or is art subjective? Maybe both. I did not want to sit next to my parents at the Harold and Kumar premiere because in the first scene I'm naked from the waist down and the shot is from the back and I just didn't need to sit next to my parents for that. So not everything is for everybody. But I'm deeply proud of that movie. And it was interesting to remember hearing my mom… I'm not deflecting this. I just remembered this story. When I was home I… I overheard mom talking to my maasi on the phone… and I could only obviously hear her end of the conversation but the gist of it was that she was being asked if the movie was like Van Wilder, and my mom was like 'na ma lead che' (he is the lead). It was like… okay. So, we're ignoring the fact that they are teen sex marijuana comedies and there's just pride in the fact that I have a lead. I was like, 'All right, okay. This is progress. We're doing well.' Even though she had to sit next to one of my friends during the premiere, I'm like, 'Maybe I could have sat next to my mom during the premiere.' So, I don't know. I think it is subjective to some extent but we can find beauty in things. Comedians in India are not having it easy. Comics have also taken such extreme positions that the middle ground, in a sense, is vacant. What are we doing wrong? Let me just call Vir Das real quick to give you the answer to this question… I mean look, I don't know. The stand-up comics whose work I enjoy most are people whose voices are authentic. I find that form of storytelling vulnerable, authentic and really fun to watch. One of my favourite stand-up comics right now is a guy named Shane Gillis. I'm a big Vir Das fan, but I don't have his lived experience. But the people you're quoting, their lament is that the audience is getting more and more intolerant. This is across the board with a lot of things. My take is: 'Okay, I don't like something, I'm just going to maybe mute the person or unfollow him.' But then there are a lot of people who are like, 'I was offended by that, I didn't like that joke. Should I unfollow that dude or should we kill him?' How did we jump from I don't like that to let's go take his life? I don't understand this. Also Read | Kal Penn reveals how teen sex comedy Van Wilder opened doors for him in Hollywood: 'I played a fairly stereotypical Indian exchange student' Well, you've had a vantage point from inside the White House. Did you see this happening around the world? That we get offended easily and that we're not open to hear something we don't want to. You can mute but you don't have to get a show taken off air just because you can. I think the root of what you're asking in the political world comes from a feeling of powerlessness. I can understand where that rage would come from. We are seeing that when it comes to our political discourse. One of the reasons I wrote my book is that I grew up thinking that neither Hollywood or Washington were accessible to me. I viewed them as monoliths that people, who were like me, were not allowed to access. But that's not true. I think when we have this feeling that we don't have power. It makes us disengage even more which is a shame because then it becomes self-fulfilling. And does art suffer because of this? I think it can suffer. There are plenty of examples where that actually happens. I think that we often make mistakes and are cancelled. But then other times you have a stand-up comedian who makes a joke that's regressive and that upsets people. I can understand why that might happen but I am a relative purist in a sense of the American version of free speech and the way that's protected in our constitution, ideally I would like to be able to defend your right to say whatever you want to but again, that's about privilege. You volunteered with (US Senator) Bernie Sanders. Yes, I volunteered with Bernie. Obviously, I'm biased towards Zohran because he got me the job in The Namesake. But our politics also align. There are some things I don't agree with. You would be insane to agree with every politician 100 per cent. It's an interesting time for that type of organisational politics because you've got folks who are offering at least a blueprint of ideas that I think we should pay attention to objectively. I think we should pay attention even if you're only a tech person who's looking at AI. Whether you love or hate AI, you realise the projection of how many jobs AI is going to be responsible for, for taking away. What's our public policy solution? Public policy moves way slower than technology. So unless you have politicians who are thinking about it and right now there are only two politicians in the US at a national level who even talk about AI because they understand technology. The rest of them are just listening to low-level staffers and lobbyists. Has liberalism receded in Hollywood or is it as intact as it always was? Was it ever intact? I'm asking you. No, I mean, you're talking to somebody who, early in his career, was told by plenty of casting directors and producers (though I'm an American, born and raised in the States) you should really go back to where you came from because you'd probably have incredible opportunities there. And I was like, 'In New Jersey, there's not a big film industry.' Obviously, I knew what they meant. So I never really associated Hollywood with actual progressivism. I think if you're talking about liberalism, it's the same liberalism you see that's supporting Biden and Harris in their assault on Gaza, which is not that different from Trump and Vance's assault on Gaza. If you look at what the Democratic Party has been doing on wages or taxation with a select few states, they haven't really been wonderful in the same way that true progressives have been. What I'm getting at is nuance matters a lot. I took a few years off to work in politics. I had started working for Obama in the primary that led up to the general election. At the time, (Barack) Obama was running against Hillary Clinton. There was this one particular guy who should remain nameless. He is a Hollywood producer, really kind and I enjoy working with him. But I remember he called and said, 'Hey, a bunch of us are thinking of throwing our support behind Obama. We've donated a lot to Hillary but I need to ask you because you've been working on the Obama campaign. If he wins, is he only going to nominate Black people in his cabinet?' And I laughed and said, 'I don't know, I hope so.' And then I realised this guy was serious. The only way I could answer it was by saying that from my experience the senator is hiring the best, most qualified people so that you will have a more diverse cabinet. But that question was jarring. But it also wasn't surprising because my experience in Hollywood, especially when it came to race or identity, was fairly regressive. So I don't necessarily know how to answer that question of liberalism in Hollywood because I don't think it was quite there. But Hollywood always paints a very clear picture of the American dream. You get a house, a station wagon, two kids. And that actually became the world's dream. Totally. I love those stories. But has the attractiveness of that dream diminished? It sounds like you're trying to tell me it has. I don't know. Artistically, I think we're still trying to make stories that we love. What I like about comedy and we already said it's subjective, is that you can make a joke that not everybody finds funny but then, you and your crazy uncle whom you disagree with about almost everything can watch the same movie together and still laugh. That's the soft power kind of unifier that I still think probably exists. ++++ You have acted in Designated Survivor. You've represented the White House. Which role was more scripted? I'm very proud of having served my country, but I love being an actor more than anything. And Designated Survivor was definitely more scripted. You're literally working off scripts. Your advice to an Indian student preparing to go to college in America. The one thing they need to worry about and the one thing they don't. If you have the visa, you already have all the answers. You've been told by the consulate to unlock your social media. Obviously, delete anything that might be problematic. But also, despite all the news, there's so much support in the US right now for immigrants, both documented and undocumented. So take advantage of that sense of community. The one thing that disappointed you about Obama or his legacy… with the 2025 lens? There's so much that even he would say, like 'Oh, I wish we could have gotten through.' The Affordable Care Act. The Dream Act, which failed by five Democratic votes. I wish we were better at the arts. We did so much on the delegation to Cuba, for example, but I wish we had codified a lot more of what it means to fund the arts. We caved to political accusations of politicising the arts. Now the current president has basically gutted public funding for the arts, and you just sit there going, 'I wish we had made those institutions stronger, and were less naive about how quickly you could dismantle them.' One thing that feels alien to you about India and the one thing that feels alien about the United States. Everybody says 'Oh you can get anything at any hour of the day or night in New York City or LA.' That's true, but the last time I was here, I had a cold and a friend just did two things on his phone and six minutes later the thing I needed was delivered. That feels really foreign to me. In the US, there's a strong sense of community, which feels foreign and also reassuring that hope is not lost. The one thing that the Democratic Party should have learned but didn't after the thumping victory of Trump. The Democrats are pointing fingers at everybody except themselves. All of the things that Kamala Harris and Joe Biden struggled with, you've got a Zohran Mamdani who won in New York City. New York went for Trump in the previous election not because people suddenly decided they were conservative. They looked at who is offering solutions for expensive groceries and that they cannot afford to live in the city they love. They saw Trump offering a version of the plan that he's obviously since abandoned. Zohran was able to capitalise on that. One difference between the right-wing movement in America and the one in India. You are asking a guy who just got his OCI card. I need to keep it for a while longer. The one stereotype you hate about portrayal of Indians in Hollywood. Thankfully, this has changed. But any stereotype stems from a character that's not fleshed out. So, just the fact that stereotypes don't allow you to be a full human being. The first thing that comes to your mind when I mention the following. Slumdog Millionaire Oscars. Apu in The Simpsons. Regressive. Dev Shah in Master of None. Very relatable. Raj Kutrapalli in The Big Bang Theory. Really fun. Parvati and Padma from the Harry Potter movies. I have not seen or read Harry Potter. Kelly Kapoor in The Office. Oh, so funny. The one comic in America you admire who doesn't vote like you? I don't know how he votes but Shane Gillis. We come from very different worlds and I value his take on the world, which a lot of my Republican friends also enjoy. Neil Patrick Harris, John Cho, Ryan Reynolds. Who would you bring to India first? John. You always travel with the person you're closest to. He is also Asian, so you have to explain less. There's a story of you almost having offered to take President Obama to a strip club. That's not correct. I had kept a real lid on the fact that I was taking a sabbatical from acting. When I started my job at the White House, it became a news story that I naively didn't think was going to be big. So this barber was like 'Oh my gosh, you're Kal Penn' and started having a conversation about the White House. He said, 'I'm not just a barber. I also own a Tapas bar… you should bring your whole office.' I was like, 'The Office of Public Engagement? We're not allowed to accept free drinks or anything.' He goes, 'No, no, but you should just come. I'll hook it up.' He goes, 'How many people in your office?' And I'm like, 'Like 40 people.' And he jokingly said, 'You should bring the Obamas.' I said, 'Well, I'll see what I can do', knowing full well that I'm not going to invite the president out for a staff drinks at a tapas bar. And then he gives me his card — Ronald's topless ladies — and I was like 'Oh, I thought tapas like little finger food, not topless.' Because I was new at the job, I had to tell our ethics officer that I just want to make sure in case this ever becomes a news story that I did not in fact almost take anybody to a strip club or a topless bar. The opposite in fact. So I'm disclosing this to you. Your view on Elon Musk. Genius first opportunist second or opportunist first genius second? Don't they all go hand in hand? Not just with Elon Musk. But when you get to a certain level, it's all intermixed. Isn't that the case for any of us? Of course, a guy like Elon Musk has way more power. But I feel like a lot of us are like, 'Oh, this choice that I make will have no impact.' When in reality, especially in a capitalist society, any choice we make has some impact. If you had to watch one episode from the new Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, which would you pick? One of the ways I started learning Hindi was through episodes of Saath Nibhaana Saathiya… the level of Hindi is accessible and they have super addictive ridiculous plot lines… so I have to go with a bahu-saas story. The one thing you learned from Irrfan Khan (The Namesake). The power of communicating through silence. He would do this throughout a lot of his scenes, but there are two in particular that I remember. There's one where he comes into my room to give a copy of the Nikolai Gogol collection of short stories. He just uses silence to convey so much of what his character is thinking and doing. He did something similar in a scene where he tells Gogol about the origin of his name. And there's very little dialogue in both. Zoya Akhtar, Karan Johar or Mira Nair. Your pick for your next film. And it's the lead character. I love them all. I want to work with all of them. I already worked with Mira. I would love to work with her again. I have to pick one? It's the lead character? Then whoever pays me more. I am a Gujju after all. **** Amish Tripathi Author American Indians are perhaps the most successful community in the United States, in every way, except the entertainment industry. Why? It is just slower because the immigration pattern to the US was not based in the arts. So it lags a little bit. But if you look at leadership in arts professions now versus 10 or 20 years ago, it is leaps and bounds better than it was before. You have so many people running a lot of companies. Everyone talks about Bella Bajaria (Chief Content Officer) who essentially runs Netflix. .. stuff that Mindy Kaling and Priyanka (Chopra) are doing, things that I do with my companies, trying to finance projects and voices. We are not all at the same levels and sometimes things fluctuate. Priyanka Sinha Jha Curator of Screen Awards Will Harold and Kumar ever be coming to Mumbai? which aspect of the Indian way of life do you think can be featured in the fifth edition? The fourth film, we are hoping to make. They have a deal with the writers. They don't have one yet with the cast but hopefully they will work all that out with the teams and we would love to do a fourth movie. In terms of coming to Mumbai, hypothetically, if there was a film awards programme that they were invited to, maybe they would show up. There's another edition of Don coming out. Would you ever be a part of it? It is one of your favourite movies. It is. And I'll throw this out there. I had dinner with Arjun Bhasin who is the costume designer on the film, and Zoya (Akhtar). As a massive fan of the franchise, I am so excited to see that. And if there was a cameo, I would not say no. In that, I would be very cheap. I'd be like, 'Yes, I am going to come to do it. What is your lowest rate?' I am a big fan. Deepak Sethi Founder and CEO, Solutions QED You said the Democrats got their messaging wrong. How easy would it have been for a Democrat campaign to change to the right kind of tonality given that they have a basic position? The democrats also got their policies wrong. Republicans have always been good at cohesive party structure. Democrats have generally been a large tent… you've got conservative Democrats and a handful of progressive ones. They took the bait on fake wokeism, things that the Republicans were trying to drum up and take air away from real conversations like affordability or climate crises. I don't think Democrats had a plan for these. Of course, Republicans have been more aggressive on things like attacking free speech, but Biden and Harris were no friend of free speech on college campuses. They were quite similar to what you saw in the beginning with Trump. That's obviously evolved quite a bit in a way that didn't exist in the previous administration. But if you give a little, it opens up the door to further regression that I would love to not see. You have so many candidates in leadership positions on the left who are offering solutions. I am still hopeful that we learn from that. I just don't know the degree to which that'll happen.
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
John Abraham at Idea Exchange: ‘In the name of being secular, you can't be making controversial films. But biased films finding an audience is worrisome'
Actor-producer John Abraham on Tehran, his interest in geopolitics, the thin line between patriotism and jingoism and why the best films are coming out of the Malayalam industry. This session was moderated by Devyani Onial, National Features Editor Devyani Onial: You debuted in films in 2003. It has been a long journey… Devyani Onial: Your latest film, Tehran, on Zee5 is topical with all that has played out between Israel and Iran. But you also have a personal connection with Iran — your mother traces her roots to the country. Tehran came to me as a typically good guy India and bad guy Iran, and I said, hey, wait a second. So my father's a Malayali and my mother and my grandfather from my mother's side came from Iran. So obviously I said Iran can't look so bad. There has to be something nice about this country. So we wrote a story about Iran, Israel, India, and how India was affected by the whole Iran-Israel conflict. Of course, you had another player in Palestine, and not topically so, because this film was made way before the war. The war happened later and we said this is a very interesting premise, and how do we project this film? So we kept this film very neutral, we kept this film very true to what actually happened. It's not your typical patriotic film. It shows the good and bad that happened, that exists within this country, which we're very scared today to show in this kind of hyper-political atmosphere. Devyani Onial: There's a very thin line between patriotism and jingoism. Do you worry about crossing that line when you are making a film or acting in one? Yes, totally. What's very worrisome for me is that in the present political climate, when you make films that aren't really true to the grain of what's really secular, and they find a massive audience, that gets you thinking and worried. I'm not saying they're good or bad films. They're impactful films, which is why they worked. But then you wonder what your responsibilities are as a producer, as a filmmaker, as an actor. And I've chosen to take the path that's probably very real. I'm not right-wing. I'm not left-wing. I am apolitical in my views. I'll probably call myself a socialist capitalist. So I want to stick to the path that actually is true. Shubhra Gupta: You started with Jism and then you did Kabul Express, two completely different kinds of films. So my idea of looking at you as an actor was that you were actually looking at a spectrum from one to the other. And as a producer, you seem to have been an outlier. What are the things that you look for when you are looking to back a movie and when you're looking at acting? I think my career is defined more by my failures than my successes. I believe the films that have stood out for me are the ones that have failed, be it Water, Kabul Express, No Smoking (2007), Madras Cafe, even The Diplomat. I have understood that where I have a voice is when I'm an outlier, when I make the kind of stuff I want to. In fact, Vicky Donor was a film that no one wanted to touch but we made it with a lot of conviction. So that's one part of me. The other part of what you said was, yes, I do films that have a lot of action, that have a lot of testosterone. You fight, you break, you bang. You have a large audience for that. But what I am hoping for through my films is to marry craft with content. Right now, they're parallel streets. Shubhra Gupta: Not too many people will remember a film that you'd done, Viruddh (2005). There was a very interesting texture to your part. So would you look at those kinds of very specific, not so much action, but more emotional kind of roles now, going forward, given the fact that you are now being associated with this muscular, macho hero kind of films? I think it's the other way around where I was always associated with the muscular, macho image. I'll tell you where I get my feedback from. I get my feedback from when I travel on flights, because as an actor I am very insulated from people. So when I travel, the impression I get from an audience that sits next to me generally is that, we love the films that you're doing now, the stuff that you're doing now makes a lot more sense. So when we see a John Abraham film, we expect something different. So there's an honest attempt to… like I said, geopolitical stuff is something that's very close to my heart. Do I want to make films that are more thought-provoking? Yes, that's the idea. But does that mean I alienate and give up what has also worked for me? No, I won't. I would never be apologetic about it. So you have to draw that balance and do both. But in the process of doing both, you shouldn't end up making a mess. Divya A: I heard you once say that you have geopolitical anxiety. I think in this Trump era we all have it, maybe to some degree. But for you personally, where did this interest in geopolitics start from and how did it become an anxiety or something that consumed you because all your films are coming out of that space now? From childhood, we were always drawn to watching the news. With the advent of the internet, my interest in the geopolitical space kept growing. In fact, recently I did an interview with Oksana Boyko of Russia Today on the whole Russia-Ukraine conflict and then the bureau called me and said, 'How do you know so much about Russia?' So I think it's my Mallu roots of having something about a Marxist, politically. But I think it just adds to whatever I kind of enjoy indulging in. So, I have developed this fondness for space has always excited me. Rinku Ghosh: OTT came up as an alternative platform for content-driven films but now we see the same bigness of commercial cinema on it. Do you feel there has been a blurring of lines between OTT and the big screen? Second, you are championing causes like the wildlife reserve in Telangana. You have also taken up the Northeast United FC, promoting football. Do these pursuits keep you grounded or are you carving out a new path for yourself? The lines are blurred a bit. But if you ask me if there should be a demarcation, I don't think so. On the animal front, I campaign for the cause of animals across this country and I am going to continue to do so because I think they're voiceless and they need a voice and some of us are doing it. Some of us mean well for the cause and whether it's writing letters to chief ministers or whatever it takes, I will do in my capacity because if there's a calling in my life, it's for animals. Without offending any human beings, animals are very important to me. I am very passionate about football. I'm opening a 15-acre academy in Shillong, where we want to get kids aged eight to 10. We can get one Messi or Ronaldo in this world from India and that's my aim. Owning a team for the sake of vanity doesn't exist in my scheme of things. But again, I'm not that actor who's going to sit with black glasses in a stadium and just look around. I want to see results. Devyani Onial: Aamir Khan recently launched his film Sitaare Zameen Par on YouTube. What do you think of that model? I think Aamir is a flag-bearer for some of us. That said, films need to be on screen for a longer period of time. I understand that YouTube is a great disruptor, so that's great. But I question the window, I'm confused. I've just been hit by a truck. So I guess I'll wait and think about it. But I think it's a disruptor and I think he's done something very differently. So kudos to him. I think you've got another platform that people would be buying for tomorrow saying, if not XYZ, then you have another option, it's fantastic. Shiny Varghese: Your mom is from Iran. It has such a different history from what we see in Iran today. So do you have stories of that time that your mom has told you about? My mom has 21 cousins in Iran—in Yazd, in Shiraz. It has always been my dream to take mom there. Unfortunately, she has dementia now. She can speak Farsi and I think the most beautiful thing that I did was to learn the language for Tehran. Also, I think Iran is probably the most misrepresented country in the world. Culturally, artistically, they're so fantastically rich. You get some of the most beautiful films out of Iran. Shiny Varghese: There's a dialogue in Madras Cafe where the journalist says that just because I criticise what's happening around, it doesn't make me anti-national. Is that a statement the film was trying to make? If you see, in The Diplomat also, we've shown the good and the bad there (in Pakistan). You've got to be honest to your process, which is why I said what's really dangerous is that certain radical views are finding a massive audience. It's really scary. So it's important for us as filmmakers to get the right message across. I want to believe that India is a secular country, that we're a fantastic democracy, and I want us to stay that way. Devyani Onial: Addressing the media in 2023 after Pathaan's release, Shah Rukh Khan said that Deepika Padukone was Amar, he was Akbar and you were Anthony. That perhaps sums up the film industry and India in one line. But do you sometimes feel that idea is under assault? I don't think there's a secret about the fact that we're making our views very clear as actors and directors. So, yes, a lot of us pretend to be secular. That's very good. And as long as we pretend, it's also very good. And people who don't get the fact that we pretend, it's even better. So that's the way I put it. But, everybody is entitled to their view. And so do filmmakers, and if they have a particular view, then so be it. In the name of being secular, you can't just be making films that could possibly be controversial. But there are films that are openly biased that are finding an audience. That's what is worrying. That's all. So there's a difference between the two. Ivinder Gill: You said India is not really the good guy in Tehran. So did you face any regulatory hurdles because of that? Do you think that is the reason why the film did not get a theatrical release? I give all credit to the Ministry of External Affairs for viewing this film and for passing it because they've been fantastic. This is the kind of film you get into with your eyes open. And when you see the film, you won't find anything particularly controversial except for what's really happening in the world. So yes, we did face a lot of hurdles. But that's the idea, right? When you do something creative, when you want to make a statement, when you want to do something that you believe is different, you are going to face some amount of restriction. It goes with the territory. I'm not wearing it on my sleeve. I'm not complaining. It's absolutely fine. Devyani Onial: You have produced a Malayalam film (Mike, 2022) and you also have a writer's room in Kerala. Is this an exciting space for you? At least as of today, I think the best films in this country come from the Malayalam film industry. If you ask me who my favourite actor is I will say Mohanlal, by light years — I love Meryl Streep also! The industry is very brave. Look at Mammootty playing a politician, and then you find out in the film (Kaathal) that he's gay. I mean, it's brave for that man to do a film like that. So I thought that maybe I could borrow from some of their ideas. I set up a writer's room in Kerala and I said, listen, let's generate ideas out of there and see films that could be made nationally or only in Malayalam. I want to make all kinds of films but it's the right time to make good Malayalam films. Shubhra Gupta: When you are talking about films, in the last few years, and they have been solidly backed by propaganda, I'm just wondering whether filmmakers like you or other people, the pretend-secularists or actual serious secularists, can take that space that has been ceded? Absolutely. I know the industry. There's hope. There are very good people in this industry. There are very secular, fantastic people here that want the best for films, that want the best for society, that want the best for the country. So I have a lot of hope and a lot of faith. And we'll see it coming in the next few years, mark my words. Rinku Ghosh: You are a fitness icon. Everybody is looking for some tips from you. Can the 40-plus also start on a fitness journey? I'll start by saying this — the lady who trains with me in the gym is a 74-year-old woman with stage two cancer who has had chemotherapy. The point I'm trying to make is that there is no age to get fit. It's a mindset. A lot of women who feel post menopause life is over, please throw that out of your head. You can get fit at any point of time in your lives. Most of the people I train with or I train or I give advice to are women. Contrary to the image I have that I hang around with only dudes, I don't. I just speak about living a good life. If you want longevity, quality of life, you've got to eat the right things, think about the right things and be very, very disciplined.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Don't reduce grandfather to a Muslim-hating kasai, says Gopal Pattha's kin; sends notice to Agnihotri
1 2 Kolkata: Vivek Agnihotri 's 'The Bengal Files' has met with opposition from unexpected quarters. Santanu Mukherjee, the grandson of Gopal Mukherjee — the legendary 'Gopal Pattha' — who was a key defender of central Calcutta's Hindu neighbourhoods during the Direct Action Day communal clashes of Aug 1946, has sent a legal notice to Agnihotri, claiming the movie "belittles, dehumanises and demonises an important figure from the history of India's independence struggle. " On Saturday, the film's trailer was screened at ITC Royal Bengal, triggering a war of words between Agnihotri and Trinamool, with the former accusing Bengal administration of "anarchy and dictatorship". TMC said the film "was a political video made as part of a pre-election political assignment". You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata | Gold Rates Today in Kolkata | Silver Rates Today in Kolkata The Mukherjee family does not want to be a part of the politics but has firm ideas about its most famous forebear, Gopal Pattha. Santanu had filed an FIR against the movie on July 14, apprehending "denigration of not only his (Gopal's) words or deeds but his ideological conviction along with historic struggle". "Listening to interviews and reading previews of the film, I was apprehensive about how my grandfather would be portrayed. The trailer has confirmed those suspicions," Santanu told TOI, sitting at the family's 200-year-old ancestral home in central Kolkata's Malanga Lane near Wellington Square. The family's biggest issue with the film is its apparent portrayal of the Kolkata strongman as "a rabble-rousing Muslim-hating butcher". "Grandfather also protected Muslim families in our neighbourhood during the communal clashes of 1946," Santanu said. Pointing to the house opposite, his sister Niharika added: "He sheltered members of that Muslim family on our terrace. Grandfather also protected the family of a rickshaw-puller... we called him Rafique Chacha. Even today, families who own the Islamia medicine shop or Mullickbazar's Haji meat shop respect our family. " This Aug 16 marked 80 years of the communal clashes that unfolded on Malanga Lane. Ahead of the 1946 riots, Muslim League volunteers had started gathering in different parts of Kolkata, Santanu said. On Aug 16, at a public meeting at Shaheed Minar, a call went out that before India's Independence, the League must be given Pakistan. After that, looting started at the arms shops around Esplanade. Killings and plunder followed. The "action" then spread to Narkeldanga and Colootola. The film, Santanu fears, will negate Gopal Pattha's message to his followers: "Don't kill the innocent. Protect children and women, whether Hindus or Muslims." He said: "To resist the riots, my grandfather organised his followers and took up arms. He had declared, 'if League rioters kill one, you must kill 10. But no harm must come to any innocent Muslim'." "The trailer crystallises my grandfather's persona in a single phrase — 'Ek tha kasai'. We think Gopal Pattha was much more than a mere butcher. He was a freedom fighter and social worker," Santanu added. The "Pattha" term, too, leaves a lot of scope for misinterpretation, feels Santanu. "Local Biharis started calling my grandfather 'Gopal Pattha' because of his bravery... from the Bengali phrase 'buker paata'. 'Pattha' never referred to 'pnatha' or goat. The film, I apprehend, is ill-researched and do my grandfather's reputation more harm than good," he said, adding that Gopal Pattha was "a known follower of both Mahatma Gandhi and Netaji". Highlighting a part of the trailer where actor Sourav Das (who plays the character of Gopal Pattha) is seen saying, "Bharat Hinduon ka rashtra hai... is yudh me Hindu haar rahe hain... Jeet kaun raha hain? Jinnah... Hum sab nashe mein chur hain aur is nashe ka naam hain Gandhi ki ahimsa", Santanu said: "My grandfather had started as a follower of Gandhi. Then, like Netaji, he felt there had to be an armed struggle. To reduce him to a hater of Muslims and Gandhi is just not on. The trailer shows Gopal Pattha running with a sword with saffron flags in background. That's absolutely wrong." Gopal Mukherjee opened his meat shop on Premchand Boral Street in 1935, with the family's primary earner — Gopal's uncle freedom-fighter Anukul — in jail, said Santanu's elder sister Neeta. The shop closed in 2015. The family, however, has another meat shop in Jadubabur Baazaar. "My grandfather used to buy goats from Muslim traders — before and after Direct Action day," said Santanu. Gopal died in 2005 at 92. Santanu wrote in the police complaint and legal notice: "These nefarious activities of Vivek Agnihotri are willfully, wantonly and maliciously besmirching the reputation of grandfather, stereotyping him as a communal thug and is aimed at flaring up communal tensions based on baseless depictions of my late grandfather's historic actions." Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
