Vivek screened in State many times

Before I & B Ministry denied it censor exemption for documentary fete

Much before the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting officially denied censor exemption for the screening of Anand Patwardhan’s documentary Vivek (Reason) at the ongoing 12th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK), a large number of film buffs and common people in the State’s rural regions had watched the film. Behind the screening of the film in at least 10 centres each in the 14 districts in the State is the tireless work of film society activists and subtitlers.

Murders

As soon as Patwardhan made parts of the documentary public early this year, film societies in the State got in touch with him seeking permission to screen it here. Soon, eight members of the Open Frame Film Society based in Thalassery got down to work on the Malayalam subtitles of the four-hour film, which highlights the murders of rationalist scholars by Hindutva extremists.

“Eight of us, including teachers and government employees, shared the work of preparing the subtitles. The film has 4,500 lines of subtitle, which were completed in just eight days. We had to consult Hindi and Marathi experts for some parts, especially for a Marathi poem. Part of the narration was dubbed in Malayalam by poet Niranjan. In Kannur, we screened it in villages such as Vellur, Mathil and Karivellur, where it received a great response.

Similar screenings were held in all districts by various film societies. Unlike watching a film with English subtitles, everyone could understand the slightest of nuances with the Malayalam subtitles,” says P. Premachandran, Secretary of the Open Frame Film Society, which has till now subtitled around 200 films from across the world.

In all, the film society activists in Kerala have subtitled in Malayalam more than 1,000 films from various languages, some of which are now being screened in schools as part of the curriculum.

Film critic G.P. Ramachandran says that with the Malayalam subtitles the societies are now able to reach more people.

According to him, such grassroots-level movements can be an effective counter for State and mob censorship of filmmakers like Patwardhan.

Ram Ke Naam

“All of these screenings were unofficial screenings taken up by the people. A similar thing happened with Patwardhan’s Ram Ke Naam, when it was to be screened in Tirur several years ago.

Following opposition from right wingers, the then Malappuram Collector banned the screening of the film for two weeks. Film society activists staged protests in various places and politicians began demanding the screening of the film, forcing the Collector to reverse the order.

When it was shown later in Tirur, more than one show had to be arranged to accommodate everyone,” says Ramachandran.

With the Kerala High Court giving the go ahead for the screening of the documentary at IDSFFK, a large crowd is expected to turn up at Sree theatre on Wednesday.

Source: Read Full Article