Film industry speaks out on the Nandan screening controversy

KOLKATA: The ���Cosmic Sex��� screening controversy at Nandan has created a stir in the film industry. According to the film���s director Amitabh Chakraborty, his is an independent arthouse film that pushes the envelop in form and content. ���Should it not be a mandate of Nandan to support such kind of cinema? While commercial cinema finds an easy viewing at Nandan, independent film-makers have to struggle for space,��� he said.Meanwhile, many other directors have spoken to TOI about the screening controversy.
Kaushik Ganguly
Primarily, I feel Nandan has the right to disallow the screening of a film. It is an arts centre and not a regular theatre. So, it reserves that right for screening movies. I later came to know that ���CS��� has been screened at Osians Cine Fan Festival of Arab and Asian Cinema, Kerala International Film Festival and was the closing film at the Cine Central Film Festival in Kolkata. These are festivals of repute. Then, I���m not sure that the film should be disallowed from Nandan. We need more explanation from the screening committee. I also feel that Nandan should be reserved mostly for arthouse Bangla cinema.
Atanu Ghosh
This isn���t the first time that Nandan has rejected a film. There was furore over Kaushik Ganguly���s ���Arekti Premer Golpo���. But we still don���t know the basic guidelines for rejection of movies. Aesthetics is a subjective term. Should we then assume that other festival films that many found aesthetically disturbing won���t be screened there? During film festivals, thousands of people watch uncensored movies at the same venue. How is it that no one has any problems then?
Bedabrata Pain
This is a pathetic decision. Nandan has no business doing this. I condemn any kind of moral policing in art and culture.
Aniket Chattopadhyay
This norm of having a screening committee was created by Satyajit Ray. The moment a director sends a DVD to this committee, he/she is by default accepting that it can be accepted or rejected. I don���t believe that such a norm should exist. But till such time this norm exists, I can say that Nandan is doing no wrong.