‘21 Months of Hell’ documentary on Emergency denied certificate by CBFC
T Satisan from Kerala
A documentary film “Twenty Months of Hell” is denied censor board permission to screen. The film is the picturisation of the inhuman police torture against the non-Congress and non-CPI men in general and RSS and RSS-inspired organisations, in particular, in Kerala during the Emergency. The worst sort of experience its director Yadu Vijaykrishnan undergoes, reminds one the horrific Emergency days.
The documentary is about interviews of the victims who suffered most brutal police tortures during the darkest period of the Indian democracy. It is confined to the Kerala centric history of the police tortures; it does not highlight the political scenario of those days. The movie narrates, with the visual support, the story of “Kuruksthetram”, the fortnightly Malayalam newsletter produced and distributed throughout the Kerala, the Kerala version of an Akhil Bharatiya progamme under which similar newsletters were distributed in the length and breadth of the country in all regional languages. The police tortures staged in Kerala were too worse; they were unheard in other parts of the country. It also gives a clear idea of the Akhil Bharatiya non-violent Satyagraha RSS had organised under the banner of Lok Sangharsha Samiti.
The documentary has been denied the censorship certificate by four member jury consisting of
well-known dubbing artist Bhagyalakshmi, Malayalam film maker Viji Thampi, actress Chippi and Malayalm serial director Kaladharan. The Regional Officer (RO) for the film censorship assigns four members for viewing and
certifying every Malalayam movie whether feature, short film or documentary. The selection of the four members from among the total number of the board is the discretion of the RO. In the case of the
documentary, RO Smt. Prathibha IES assigned the above mentioned personalities for the job. We also understand that Bhagylakshmi, a former CPM fellow traveler, has joined CPI after getting appointed to the censor board recently.
Now, the censor board panelists and RO ask for NOC from the Sangh workers who are interviewed for the movie. Bhagylakshmi asks for a certificate from the Animal Welfare Board for shooting a stray dog for the movie, Yadu blames! The film was rejected on December 4, 2017 after screening. His next resort was an appeal before the review board of the CBFC. But, he needs a show cause notice before going to appeal. He was informed by the RO’s office on January 1, 2018 that the notice was ready. But, when he went there he did not get it. Yadu has already spent more than Rs 27,000 for the formalities in connection with the censorship certificate. Now, he has to part with another handsome amount for application for the revision, etc.
Yadu told Organiser that the film does not promote any political party or organisation. But, it narrates what was happening during Emergency. A CPI-minded panelist will never agree to give nod to a movie showing the atrocities of a regime led by a CPI veteran. Panelists of Congress orientation face the same sort of dilemma as the then Home Ministry was presided by their veteran leader. C Achutha Menon who was the Chief Minister and Karunakaran was the Home Minister during the Emergency. Yadu says, the panelists stated that there are no evidences for the inhuman police tortures of Emergency days picturised in the movie. They are least bothered about the Shah Commission report or O Rajagopal Commission report which contain shocking personal experiences of thousands of citizens. The Association of the Emergency Victims condemned the censor board’s act of denying the censorship certificate to the movie.
