Moral policing at Nandan is taking Kolkata backwards, says 'Chatrak' director

Sri Lankan film-maker

Vimukthi Jayasundara

has reacted to the '

Cosmic Sex

' screening row at Nandan. The director, who had a trouble when he made 'Chatrak' with the moral police in Bengal, is seeing a re-run of his own experiences now.

Speaking to TOI from

Sydney

, Jayasundara said, 'I am extremely disappointed to hear what's happened. Nothing really has changed in Kolkata since I made 'Chatrak' six years ago,' he said.

According to him, theatres should never take on the role of moral policing. 'It cannot pass a judgement on cinema aesthetics and taste. It has to be open to offers by filmmakers. Once you have censorship certificate, it should be granted the permission to be screened,' he explained.


On being told that Nandan has had such guidelines since the art centre caters to a certain kind of aesthetics, he said, 'I don't know what tastes we are talking about. The moral police came down on my 'Chatrak' too. They are doing the same now. It only shows that Bengal has learnt nothing.'

After the 'Chatrak'

controversy

broke out, many scampered to get hold of the controversial clip on their mobile phones. 'Many among them then took a holier than thou stand in public and spoke against it. But they were the first ones to want to watch the film in private. I am told that many have openly admitted on a radio station that they have watched 'Cosmic Sex' on torrent! If so many people have watched it and are speaking in favour or against it, what's the point in refusing its commercial release now?' he asked.

What has intrigued him further is that the film has been allowed a festival screening at Nandan but denied commercial release! 'In case of 'Chatrak', the film wasn't screened at any festival at Nandan. Here, it was screened at Nandan itself. This is just not done. I am utterly disappointed. It's shocking to see the moral police of Kolkata kill an indie film this way. Kolkata is going backwards,' he concluded.