Jury-members request I&B ministry to reconsider decision on 'S Durga'
IFFI 2017 had quite a grand opening with Bollywood biggies Shah Rukh Khan, Shahid Kapoor, Sridevi gracing the event. Amidst all this, six members of the jury have written a letter to the Information and Broadcasting minister, Smriti Irani to reconsider the decision of removing the controversial movies 'S Durga' and 'Nude' from the screening. The jury members include well-known filmmakers.
Here's what jury members wrote in the letter
In the letter, the jury members said that the films "were removed without any intimation, discussion or recourse to the jury which has the final say according to the Indian Panorama regulations." The letter further read that such a step would "set a negative image of the very bodies that have worked hard to create a festival like this and a respectable standing."
IFFI committee member Vani Tikoo defends the stand
Defending the step, Vani Tikoo said the whole controversy was absolutely uncalled for. "As far as Nude and S Durga are concerned, there are two technical issues with the films. S Durga had come as Sexy Durga for approval to the ministry, and it was not approved for MAMI (Mumbai Film Festival)." "This is not a privately-run festival," she further added.
Vani also questioned Sujoy Ghosh's decision
'Kahani' director Sujoy Ghosh resigned from jury chief after 'S Durga' and 'Nude' were dropped from the list. Expressing her displeasure over his decision, Vani said, "Why is Mr Sujoy Ghosh sending his resignation on an email, sitting outside the country, to the media? Why did he not approach the ministry and open a dialogue?" Meanwhile, Rahul Rawail has been made the new jury-chief.
