Too real for comfort?

Jasmine Singh

Explaining creativity is a difficult task, something that cannot be put in words. Like they say, it is like asking a bird, ‘how do you fly’. So, when you ask filmmaker Sukhjinder Singh why he chose the topic of Jinda Sukha, it is asking someone why don’t you have cola instead of water. The Mastermind Jinda Sukha, which is based on the assassins of former Army General Arun Kumar Vaidya, was previously granted clearance from the Censor Board on July 24, but has now been banned after the union home ministry and intelligence bureau (IB) raised objections.

This isn’t for the first time that a film faces a ban. Earlier, Punjabi film Sadda Haq based on the Khalistan movement was banned in order to maintain peace and harmony. Later, another Punjabi film, Patta Patta Singha Da Vairi, based on some events of the militant movement was banned. And then there was Qaum De Heere, which had to face a ban due to its content. Are we right in questioning people and subjects that have broken the established patterns, does creativity mean everything or is there a need to pull out skeletons in the name of creativity. Here is what members of the film fraternity have to say about it, each one trying to be objective in their own right!

Hurt me not

Films hold a mirror to society. They reflect what is scattered around us whether it is love, hatred, jealousy and much more. “Exactly, this is the point. Films don’t create a different world, they stems from realities of our own world,” adds Kuljinder Sidhu, the lead actor of Sadda Haq, who fought hard to convince the authority that his film should not be banned. “I have often heard people saying ‘ki zarurat hai’ (what is the need), and I wonder, am I showing something that never existed? Am I talking about people I saw in my dreams or am I making the whole thing up? As a filmmaker, who has decided to show a real incident, I am just putting together what happened, why can’t you accept it,” Kuljinder says. He feels this topic disturbs him no end.

Incidents culled from real life always stand under scrutiny, they are always under questioning and if they rise up too strongly, they have to deal the word ban. Actor Nav Bajwa, who plays Jinda in The Mastermind Jinda Sukha, didn’t expect a ban. “A controversy or two I was seeing , but not that,” says the actor, who made his debut with the Punjabi film Fateh.

Speaking about his film never tires Nav, “Again, we are not here to hurt people’s sentiment, we are bringing forth what happened, which could be disturbing for some.” Nav cites examples of Hindi films which faced ban, “With Punjabi films the tolerance is less, however. Why are we underestimating audience?”

Let it be

Directorial liberty, the words are seen in a new light everyday. Different factions of the film fraternity see it differently. For instance, director Maduip Singh is in favour of cinema showing sensible subjects, “I also feel, as a filmmaker our job is to sell dreams and nightmares, but these nightmares should only be a reality check, they shouldn’t give rise to a wave of unrest.”

Manduip makes us look at films like Amu or Punjab 1984 which showed what they intended, without making the dead turn in their graves!

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