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Priyanka Bhadani
Priyanka Bhadani

CINEMA

Return of the disrupter

  • Getting real: Madhur Bhandarkar | Amey Mansabdar
  • Frame by frame: Bhandarkar on the sets of Indu Sarkar.
  • Bhandarkar with Supriya Vinod.

Neither the censor board, nor the Congress party is happy about his upcoming movie on the Emergency. What’s new, asks Madhur Bhandarkar

In the trailer of Madhur Bhandarkar’s Indu Sarkar, actor Neil Nitin Mukesh says, “Emergency mein emotion nahi, mere orders chalte hain (During the emergency, emotions do not matter, only my orders do).” His resemblance to Sanjay Gandhi is unmissable. The film, scheduled for release on July 28, hit the headlines after the Congress party voiced its reservations over the portrayal of Indira Gandhi and other leaders in the trailer. On YouTube, the trailer has already racked up more than 56 lakh views.

But, Bhandarkar is not new to such rows. Known for his hard-hitting and realistic films, the Mumbaikar has often made movies against a backdrop of the glam world. This time, he wanted to make something very different. “The Emergency (1975-77) has not been debated in Indian cinema very strongly,” he said. “There have been films that have discussed the period in the backdrop, but a film fully dedicated to the 21-month period has not been made.”

Bhandarkar and Anil Pandey wrote the story and screenplay, while Sanjay Chhel wrote the dialogues. The threesome together placed the protagonist, Indu Sarkar (Kirti Kulhari), against the backdrop of the Emergency. The titles of Bhandarkar’s films—Page 3, Fashion, Jail, Corporate—give away a lot about the premise of the story. Indu Sarkar follows the trend; Indira was fondly called Indu. “Indu is the protagonist’s name and Sarkar is the surname of her husband,” said Bhandarkar. “Hence, Indu Sarkar. But, you can look at it metaphorically.”

The pre-production took more than seven months. Bhandarkar travelled to Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Bengaluru to collect memorabilia from the 1970s—posters, gramophones and telephones. A set resembling those times was created at ND Studios, Karjat. Books such as The Emergency: A Personal History by Coomi Kapoor and Emergency Retold by Kuldip Nayar were used as research material. The background research also included a visit to the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library at Teen Murti Bhawan. “We also read the Shah Commission report [the commission, headed by Justice J.C. Shah, was appointed in 1977 to look into the excesses committed during the Emergency],” Bhandarkar said. “We met many victims and based on our interactions, we developed our protagonist. She is an orphan. A poetess with a stammer, who is married to a bureaucrat.” According to him, a lot of intricate details about the period like the laws that were discreetly included in the Ninth Schedule have been weaved into the story. The movie also shows the stories of the underground activists and their modus operandi.

The trailer of the film has disturbed many, including former Congress MP Jagdish Tytler. After watching the trailer, Tytler felt that a character was modelled on him. Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam wrote to the Central Board of Film Certification asking for the movie to be screened for the party before it is censored. (Bhandarkar responded that those raising concerns must let the CBFC take a call on it). CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani had reportedly congratulated Bhandarkar for “blowing the lid off one of the most shameful chapters of Indian politics”. The CBFC normally demands filmmakers to get no objection certificates from concerned people when the film is about real incidents and situations. But, Bhandarkar was not asked to provide an NOC.

93-Kirti-Kulhari Kirti Kulhari in a scene from the movie.

However, when the censor screening eventually took place on July 10 (Nihalani was absent), Bhandarkar was shocked at the 14 changes (12 cuts and two disclaimers) suggested by the committee. The lines which the censor board wanted removed included: “Ab iss desh mein Gandhi ke maayne badal chuke hain (The Gandhi name now holds a different meaning in this country)” and, “Bharat ki ek beti ne desh ko bandi banaya hua hai (One of India’s daughters has enslaved the country).” Bhandarkar said: “We are disappointed with the CBFC and will now approach the revising committee. It is appalling that they are asking us to remove or change dialogues that were part of the censored trailer. Taking the suggested cuts will change the essence of [those] scenes in the film.” Recalling his “funny tryst” with the CBFC over the years, Bhandarkar talked about Page 3 (2005) and Traffic Signal (2007) that got U/A certificates with minor cuts or tweaks. “Then I made Fashion (2008) and got an A certificate. I asked them why ‘A’ and they said the actresses were smoking in the film,” he said. “But so were the actresses in the other two films. News about it [CBFC] being arbitrary has started coming out on a frequent basis these days.”

Meanwhile, Congress spokesperson Jyotiraditya Scindia made the row political. While condemning “the false depictions” in the trailer, he said the film was “fully sponsored”. Bhandarkar said Indu Sarkar was a small-budget film (under Rs 9 crore) and that he had to struggle to complete it. “Had my movie been sponsored, I would have released it during the elections, either in 2019 or earlier this year when the five states went to polls,” he said. “It would have been easy for me to do that. I am releasing my film when there is no election. As it is, the impact of a movie is for a week or two. It fizzles out after that.” Bhandarkar said he does not stand by a political party’s ideology, but follows individuals. He has been a staunch Modi supporter, but he said he has favourites in other parties too. “For me, the nation comes first,” he said. “I have been in the industry for the last 17 years. I have achieved my commercial success and National Awards on my merit and not by any political diktats. My credibility is more important than anybody for my film.”

He cannot understand why people are getting rattled. There have been letters, books, which have taken names, articles and documentaries about the Emergency, he said. “But I don’t know why people get upset when a film is made.” He said he has been getting understated threats. “People call up and say things like, ‘Why do you want to take panga [trouble]? Change the names. It is okay. It is ultimately only a film’,” he said, adding that people should support his film that is trying to make the younger generation aware of one of the darkest chapters in Indian history. “I also want the government to make this film tax free.”

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Topics : #Bollywood

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