Madhur's against censor cuts

Film-maker Ashoke Pandit has taken on the Censor Board. After the first viewing of the documentary film Village of Widows, the censor officials had raised their eyebrows on two major and important portions of the film.
The film was then sent to the Reviewing Committee. The report of the committee has staunchly asked for two major portions to be chopped up for the clearance from the Censor.The following were the cuts asked for:
1) There is a footage of Benazir Bhutto giving an anti-India speech and propagating terrorism against India for Kashmir where by she proclaims the need for supposed freedom of Kashmir from India.
2) Shots of the Indian National Flag being burnt in Kashmir.
None of the said footage is a work of fiction. The medium of the said film is documentary, and these footages depict the real documentation of the events that had resulted in terrorism sky rocketing in the valley during the decade of 90’s. Bhutto’s speech played a very important role in inciting violence in the valley. The flag burning incident was the result of this same very anti-India emotion that was prevalent in the valley in those years.
It is a very strange phenomenon that the Censor Board works in a very hackneyed set up in this era of instant news and broadcasting. This very same Bhutto speech was telecast on all Indian channels, especially in Kashmir, which is an integral part of the country. No one raised an issue at that point. In fact, the said shot is shot from a TV set that was airing the said speech.
“We cannot chose to shy away from the realities that stand to be the true causes of terrorism. It is very important that such documentaries should be safeguarded from unwanted censorship as documentary films of this nature stand on historical records. Historical truths cannot be doctored,” Ashoke Pandit said.
Madhur Bhandarkar said, “We will definitely approach the Tribunal and want the film to go uncut as it is a genuine film which portrays real incidences.”
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