'Aarakshan' releases in all but 3 states, Jha seeks SC relief

New Delhi, Aug 12 (PTI) Prakash Jha's controversial film
"Aarakshan" on reservations released in most parts of the
country to a decent response Friday even as the producer-
director approached the Supreme Court of India seeking lifting
of the ban imposed in three states.
The court will hear the matter on Tuesday after a long
weekend. Jha had contended that the decision to ban the film
by the state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Andhra
Pradesh was due to political reasons and it violates the
fundamental right to speech and expression as the Amitabh
Bachchan-starrer was passed without any cuts by the Censor
Board.
The Centre too defended the board's decision and ruled
out any intervention in the matter.
The Punjab government agreed to lift the ban on the
film's release on the condition that certain scenes and
dialogues are removed from the movie.
Multiplex chains and theatre owners said audience
response was favourable in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata
and Chennai. The response was, however, not too good in the
north because of the ban in two states, said Rahul Singh, VP
(marketing) of PVR.
Jha, who termed the ban "very intimidating", said he is
confident about a positive decision from the apex court and
hoped his film will release without any cuts.
"We have a simple demand that our film is released in all
the states the way Censor Board passed it," he said.
But in the process, he said, he will lose money in the
three states during the first weekend, considered very crucial
for a film.
"Obviously, we are going to incur losses. We haven't sat
down and done any calculations. Whatever will be, will be.
Every territory, no matter how small or big, is important. But
it is more important that people everywhere are able to see a
film and enjoy it fearlessly," Jha said.
Bachchan has been quite vocal in his defence of the
movie's theme and termed the ban as a disrespect to the Censor
Board, the final authority on film certification.
"UP, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh have given notice to ban
the film and not allow it to be projected for another 2
months, a provision given administratively to each
government...
"What is the need then of the Censor Board, a statutory
body instituted by you, the legislatures and Parliamentarians
that govern this land. You nominate what you believe, to
disbelieve what you nominate!! Better to remove it altogether
then rather than give it disrespect," he wrote on his blog.
Bollywood too joined Bachchan in slamming the ban on the
movie, calling it an attack on creative freedom.
"Should we filmmakers from now on start making cartoon
films," tweeted filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar. Anupam Kher said
"Aarakshan" is a victim of "today's dirty politics".
Filmmaker Karan Johar, who had faced a similar brunt for
his film "My Name Is Khan" tweeted, "Cinema is a medium of
expression... democracy allows the freedom of expression...
is this only in theory??? And who stands accountable?? SAD."
There were some protests in the states of Haryana and
Jammu and Kashmir demanding a ban on the movie. Haryana
Valmiki Mahasabha dubbed "Aarakshan" 'anti-Dalit" while
Gujjars in Jammu claimed the film hurts the sentiments of the
backward and suppressed sections of the society.
On the other hand, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)
described portions of the film as "objectionable" and said
they would review it intensively before deciding a future
course of action.
The Congress appealed all sides to exercise restrain and
not get excited because "unnecessary building up passion
really does not help the cause either way".