Madras HC questions why CBFC denied censor certificate to Vetrimaaran's Manushi: ‘Making movie is right to speech'

Hindustan Times

2 days ago

On Wednesday, the Madras High Court questioned how the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) could deny certification to Manushi, as per The Hindu's report. Vetrimaaran moved the court on Tuesday for the film produced by him and directed by N Gopi Nainar after the CBFC reportedly denied them a censor certificate without specifying objectionable scenes. (Also Read: Director Mohan G accuses Vetrimaaran, Anurag Kashyap of misrepresenting Brahmins in Bad Girl: 'Try with your own caste')
The report states that Justice N Anand Venkatesh questioned how the CBFC denied a certificate without specifying the objectionable scenes, visuals, dialogues, music or other content that's to be edited. The judge stated that unless the portions were spelt out, the producer wouldn't know which parts of the film to tweak or edit, leading to monetary loss.
'Making a movie is a part of the right to speech and expression. As such, the filmmakers are already suffering from a lot of difficulties. You cannot deny certification for an entire movie without specifying the objectionable portions and expect a filmmaker to shoot the entire movie afresh,' said the judge.
The CBFC was given until 16 June to provide a list of objectionable portions or to watch the film with Vetrimaaran and point out the scenes to him.
The judge was reportedly told that the examining committee and the screening committee of the CBFC had recommended against certifying the film for five reasons. The certification board reportedly stated that Manushi went against the integrity of the State, had contemptuous scenes, defamed government policies, portrayed stereotypes leading to the north-south divide and had scenes against the country's interest.
The judge sought CBFC's response by 11 June over this claim, reportedly stating, 'These conclusions are not subjective but based on objective facts, which are discernible from various scenes in the movie. Therefore, if at all the petitioner is required to edit those portions, he must be informed about the specific portions that required such editing.'
Vetrimaaran produced Manushi under Grassroot Film Company, and Gopi of Aramm-fame directed it. Andrea Jeremiah plays the lead role in the film, which also stars Nasser, Tamizh, Hakkim Shah, and Balaji Sakthivel. Ilaiyaraaja has composed the film's music, and Vijay Sethupathi released the film's trailer in April last year. Manushi sees the custodial torture of a woman suspected of being a terrorist.