Local CBFC sends note-ban film to Pahlaj Nihalani for nod

KOLKATA: The Kolkata office of the Central Board of Film Certification has found a film based on the theme of demonetisation too hot to touch and sent it to chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani for clearance.
While the regional officer has claimed Suvendu Ghosh's 'Shunyota' was referred to the chairperson because there were differences among members of the examining committee, the director has accused the CBFC of delaying certification since the film opposes PM Narendra Modi's demonetisation drive.The film was scheduled to be released this Friday.
Ghosh had approached the CBFC for certification on March 16. The film's plot revolves around a writer releasing a book of three stories. The first story is based on the life of a daily wage-earner in a Ranigunj colliery; the second is about a Gangtok-based couple who come to Kolkata for their child's treatment, and the third is about a Kakdwip-based trawler repairer. The writer traces the catastrophic effect of the note ban on the lives of the three families. At the end of the film when the author is asked if he supports demonetisation, he replies in the negative.
"I checked online and found that mine is the first film on demonetisation," Ghosh claimed.
Insisting that he is not anti-BJP, the director said, "The CBFC has developed cold feet fearing that certifying a film on demonetisation might not go down well with the Union ministry. Since CM Mamata Banerjee had strongly opposed demonetisation, the Kolkata office doesn't want to take the risk of certifying a film on the subject and is passing the buck."