Director Anurag Kashyap, who has approached the Bombay High Court against the Censor Board after it objected to the exclusion of the anti-smoking disclaimer in his upcoming film Ugly, says he is a socially responsible filmmaker and will fight till the end to secure justice in the matter.
The Censor Board had asked Anurag to carry the warning ‘Smoking is injurious to health’ in all the scenes of his film where the characters have been shown smoking. But Kashyap refused to add the disclaimer and subsequently filed a petition in the court.
“We have not used this thing (warning message on smoking) for our film so we have been denied the certificate. This warning destroys the aesthetic value of a film and distracts audience from the movie thus ruining the experience of watching a film. It is my film and my creativity and I don’t want to destroy it following a rule that does not make sense to me,” he told reporters here at a press conference.
“I feel I am being bullied by the Health Ministry and I refuse to take that bullying. If you think cigarette intake is harmful… bad then stop tobacco industry, don’t take revenue from it.
All things which you think are illegal stop those things,” the filmmaker said. The Gangs of Wasseypur director said he will even knock the Supreme Court door if things did not turn in his favor.
“Being a filmmaker I agree there is a social responsibility on us… Why that thing is not there on others as well ? I think I am a socially responsible filmmaker… I don’t make films that don’t have point in the end. I am far more socially responsible than politicians and they can challenge me,” he added.
Anurag is firm that he doesn’t want to release Ugly with the warning messages. “I don’t want to release Ugly with those notifications.
I will fight till the end. I have the right to expression and being in this democratic country I am going to pitch my fight till the end to see that what comes out of it. I think so because somewhere, somebody has to stand up and fight… What I feel is very unfair and is absolutely mindless and pointless,” he added.
Anurag is hopeful that he would get a positive response. “We are hoping for a positive response. I believe I will get favourable reply, I believe in constitution, democracy and I have read everything. I believe justice will be done.
It might be long fight but I am hopeful. I hope they start to take us seriously. I believe right judgment will happen,” he said. Directed by Anurag, ‘Ugly’ is a psychological thriller and an emotional drama, starring Girish Kulkarni, Ronit Roy, Tejaswini Kolhapure, Vinit Kumar Singh, Surveen Chawla and others. The film was screened in the Directors’ Fortnight section at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival and received a good response. (PTI)
