- Thursday, March 30, 2023
By: Pramod Thomas
The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) in India has asked to omit the word “Bangladesh” from pro-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) ad films produced and directed by Sanghamitra Choudhury.
In a letter earlier this week, the Board asked Choudhury to either ‘cut’ or ‘replace’ Bangladesh from the films.
The filmmaker was also asked to replace the word “Hindu” with “Hindus from three neighbouring countries”.
The filmmaker said that she might consult her lawyers before carrying out the suggestions.
Choudhury, who is also a BJP Mahila morcha leader, said a month -and -half had already lapsed since the series was made owing to objections raised by the authority.
“Much time has already been wasted before we could air the series on certain TV channels,” she said.
Reports said that CBFC wanted to ensure that the films fulfill “all criteria” of the Board before release.
Insertion of a disclaimer was also recommended at the beginning of each of the films.
According to the producer-director, one of the films asserts the point that Muslims born in India or those whose parents were born here are citizens of the country.
The other three films highlight the benefits of the new law, seek to clear misconceptions and clarify that furnishing any document is not mandatory for granting citizenship to the targeted beneficiaries, she claims.
Protests over the contentious CAA is still ongoing in India.
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