NEW DELHI: The National Commission for Scheduled Castes has said that Prakash Jha‘s film ‘Aarkashan‘ should only be released after some changes are made.
The Commission, which saw the film yesterday evening, has objected to the "derogatory way" the backward community has been represented in the film.
The Commission asked the Central Board for Film Certification to review necessary changes in the film before its Friday release.
But NCSC chairman P L Punia admitted to indiantelevision.com that the NCSC could not go any further than requesting the CBFC to make cuts. He said that it was now up to the Board to take a decision, and ‘we are not going to fight‘.
Punia stated that the matter came under the purview of the NCSC under Article 338 since it was a Constitutional body.
He added that CBFC was also an autonomous body set up under the Constitution and therefore the NCSC could not force any decision on it.
"The main theme of the movie is about commercialization of education followed by several objectionable dialogues against people from backward communities. There is no discussion on reservation in its second half," Punia averred.
"The film needs some major revisions and its release should be deferred keeping in mind the sensibilities of the backward communities in the country," he asserted.
"The makers of this movie have made a mockery of the judgments passed by courts and decisions taken by government by using objectionable dialogues such as ‘Aarakshan hamara janamsiddh khairat hai and 50 per cent mein kya hoga, ab 100 per cent quota le jao‘," Punia said.
A nine-member team of the CBFC which included Dalit members had given a U/A certificate to the film without any cuts, but the Commission had summoned CBFC Chairperson Leela Samson and demanded a special screening of the movie.
After the hearing, Samson said the CBFC had passed the film in its wisdom and agreed with Jha that he could not show the film to everyone before release.
Meanwhile, although a Court ruling by Madras High Court stayed the release of the film, Jha said in a statement in Mumbai that the dispute related to some payment between his co-producer Feroze Nadiadwala and a photo company and did not relate to the film.
