Kolkata theatres pull out satire after ‘police warning’

Shubhadeep Choudhury

Tribune News Service

Kolkata, February 17

Eyebrows are being raised in Kolkata over the abrupt disappearance of Bengali film “Bhabishyater Bhoot” from city multiplexes allegedly after warning from respective jurisdictional police stations.

For Kunal Sen, son of filmmaker late Mrinal Sen, the incident is reminiscent of the Emergency days. In a Facebook post, Sen wrote that he came to know that a film that was released on Friday was suddenly pulled out of all theatres in Kolkata the following day.

“I could not imagine that a film can be shut down without any legal process. I heard that the Kolkata police wanted to see the film a couple of days before the release, but the filmmaker refused because it is well beyond their jurisdiction, since the Indian Censor Board already approved the film,” Sen wrote.

Sen, who lives in Chicago, then recalled how “Chorus” (1974) – one of his father’s anti-establishment film – was shown by Doordarshan during the heights of Emergency.

“Bhabhishyoter Bhoot” (literal meaning: Ghosts of Future) is directed by Anik Dutta. Though a political satire, it does not single out anyone in particular for heaping insult. “This movie has not targeted any particular political party,” reviewer Debasmita Das has written.

According to CPM mouthpiece “Ganashakti”, Dutta is being punished by the state government for his daring remarks during the Kolkata International Film Festival held last November.

Sources said no directive had been officially issued, but theatre owners were contacted from jurisdictional police stations and asked to stop the screening of the movie.

Last year, when there was a row over the release of “Padmaavat”, Mamata Banerjee had accused the Narendra Modi-led government at the centre of imposing “super-emergency” in the country.