The Censor Board has awarded 14 cuts to ‘Indu Sarkar’. Director Madhur Bhandarkar seems furious and will approach the revising committee challenging the CBFC’s decision
Madhur Bhandarkar’s ‘Indu Sarkar’ has been suggested 14 cuts by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and the filmmaker is fuming! As soon as he stepped out of the screening of ‘Indu Sarkar’ held for the censor committee, he shared, “Just got out of ‘Indu Sarkar’ censor screening. I am appalled at the 14 cuts suggested by the committee. Will go to the revising committee.” The reasons for the cuts and the supposedly objectionable scenes have not been revealed yet. In the recent time, Prakash Jha-produced ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’ too protested the Censor cuts and was granted a clear status by the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT). Madhur Bhandarkar too is contemplating taking the similar route for ‘Indu Sarkar’.
The Censor Board’s ire has just added to ‘Indu Sarkar’s’ ongoing controversy. Congress party leader Sanjay Nirupam reportedly requested the CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani that ‘Indu Sarkar’, which is set in the Emergency era, be screened for the party before its release. This is to be sure that his party leaders are not shown in a bad light, as the film could talk about the Congress and Indira Gandhi government, who was ruling back then. Bhandarkar, a National Award winning filmmaker, has maintained that ‘Indu Sarkar’ is only about two different ideologies during the Emergency.
‘Indu Sarkar’ is set in the era of 1975, during the Emergency in India, imposed by the Indira Gandhi government. The political drama portrays Supriya Vinod in a character inspired from the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, while Neil Nitin Mukesh’s character is loosely based on her son Sanjay Gandhi. One look at him and Neil’s getup too will immediately remind one of Sanjay Gandhi. Kirti Kulhari plays a stammering poetess who rebels against her husband (Tota Roy Chowdhury) and becomes an activist. Anupam Kher has a pivotal role in the film. As ‘Indu Sarkar’ braves all controversies, including the one with the 14 cuts by the Censor Board, the Bollywood film is gearing up for the big screen release on July 28.
