Censor Board denies nod to Malayalam movie Varthamanam set in backdrop of Jan JNU protest

Malayalam film "Varthamanam", which is set in the backdrop of the students' agitation held in Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi early this year has been denied permission by the Censor Board of Film Certification's (CBFC) regional office. Directed by noted filmmaker Sidhartha Siva with award-winning actress Parvathy Thiruvoth in the lead role, the Malayalam movie revolves around the journey of a Keralite woman who goes to the JNU campus from the home state for her research studies. 

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Censor Board denies nod to Malayalam movie based on JNU agitation

Aryan Shoukath, the film's producer-script-writer, said that the CBFC officials have not pointed out any specific reason for denying the certification. He also said the movie would be submitted to the revising committee of the Censor Board in Mumbai for certification this week itself. While speaking to news agency PTI, Shoukath who is also a Congress leader said, "We still do not know why the move is denied the certification." The movie will not be sent for any awards this time if we do not get the Censor Board clearance before December 31, he added. 

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Suspecting that the nod for screening the movie was denied on political grounds citing a recent tweet of a censor board member, who is also the state vice president of SC Morcha of the BJP, Shoukath said, "nowadays Censor Board has several political appointees who have no basic knowledge of cinema. We are still living in India which is a democratic, secular and socialist country. It is based on the clan and race of the script-writer that a film is given a nod for screening? The undeclared emergency situation in the cultural sector cannot be accepted."

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PTI informed that when two censor board members who are from the film industry, strongly supported the movie and wanted to give it a nod for screening, two others, who are political nominees, objected to it. When contacted, the censor board officials here were unavailable for comment, PTI added.

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(With PTI inputs)