Amitabh Bachchan Blog

Jalsa  , Mumbai                                   Aug  11/12  , 2011                                         Thu/ Fri 2 : 53 AM

The first public showing of “Aarakshan” .. and I have cried throughout .. not because of the film ..yes the film does have those moments too .. but because an art form of such intense creativity should be kept away by banning it in certain States of this our beloved country.

I stood, as did all of us at the beginning of the show when the National Anthem was played, and sang along with perhaps a handful of others in the sincerest of emotion and belief in an anthem that brings all of us to our feet in respect dignity and most importantly, our pride.

Jana gaṇa mana adhināyaka jaya hē
Bhārata bhāgya Vidhātā
Pañjāba Sindhu Gujarāṭa Marāṭhā
Drāviḍa Utkala Baṅga
Vindhya Himācala ẏamunā Gaṅgā
Ucchala jaladhi taraṅga
Tava śubha nāmē jāgē
Tava śubha āśiṣa māgē
Gāhē tava jaya gāthā
Jana gaṇa maṅgala dāyaka jaya hē
Bhārata bhāgya vidhātā
Jaya hē jaya hē jaya hē
Jaya jaya jaya jaya hē

O! Dispenser of India’s destiny, thou art the ruler of the minds of all people[9]
Thy name rouses the hearts of Punjab, Sindh, Gujarat, the Maratha country,
in the Dravida country, Utkala and Bengal;
It echoes in the hills of the Vindhyas and Himalayas,
it mingles in the rhapsodies of the pure waters of Yamuna and the Ganges.
They chant only thy name.
They seek only thy auspicious blessings.
They sing only the glory of thy victory.
The salvation of all people waits in thy hands,
O! Dispenser of India’s destiny, thou art the ruler of the minds of all people
Victory to thee, Victory to thee, Victory to thee,
Victory, Victory, Victory, Victory to thee!.

And as I come to learn hour after hour the various objections and restrictions that various states raise in banning this creative art form, this example of one of the most significant tenets of our Constitution - the freedom of expression, I read and reread the very first stanza of the Anthem -

O ! Dispenser of India’s destiny, thou art the ruler of the minds of all people ..

I am saddened that India’s destiny, the dispenser of which rules the minds of all people, has no effect on those minds that sit in the most august houses of our legislative assembly, those very people that take on oath the truth of wanting to protect the integrity and sovereignty of this nation, pander to unsubstantiated rumor and belief, without as much as any verification of its validity.

Without any knowledge of what the film contains, without any desire to determine in the truest and most basic principles of law in democracy, fact. It has merely strengthened my and many others fears the weakeness it conveys in our belief in governance and its ethics.

UP, Punjab and today Andhra Pradesh have given notice to ban the film and not allow it to be projected for another 2 months - a provision given administratively to each government. After that period is over the film can have exhibition and … the Producer is not obliged to carry out any changes that the administration in governance may have found, because the film technically and legally has found certification without a single cut !! What good will 2 months do then in the law and order situation - the reason given for the non showing of this product ! So the same film is a law and order problem now and today but shall not be a problem after 2 months ?? You will destroy the commerce of the producer and all those that have invested time blood tears and money into this film, when even after waiting for 2 months there cannot be any change that will be accepted to be done !! What is the need then of the Censor Board, a statutory body instituted by you, the legislatures and Parliamentarians that govern this land. You nominate what you believe, to disbelieve what you nominate !! Better to remove it altogether then rather than give it disrespect.

I do not care and never have cared about the fate of any film of mine, and I never shall. I do not care if this film does well or not, but I shall admit this … this film has shown a mirror to the country and to one of its conditions. This film has shown a path that needs to be taken for a better and more secure future of this country. And if God forbid this film fails at the box office, it shall demonstrate to a large extent the failure of the reality in the country, that today it struggles with.

I shall believe and will always believe in the words that Dr Prabhakar Anand pronounces during the course of this film -

Is desh mein do bharat baste hain .. aur sahi mano mein agar hum samaaj mein parivartan chate hain, toh in dono ke beech ka jo antar hai use mitana padega ..

‘Two India’s reside in this country .. and truthfully if we have to see any progress in our society, then the distance between these must be erased ..’

Disturbed as I am on the happenings that one endures every hour, I am deeply disturbed by what a person of the eminence of Rajdeep Sardesai, owner controller chief of CNNIBN has to tweet regarding the film -

sardesairajdeep Rajdeep Sardesai

only 2 winners in aarakshan debate. prakash jha whose film will now ’sell’ and ramdas athavale, dalit leader who has struck a ‘deal’

For you Rajdeep, a journalist of such esteem, all that attracts you to a film you have not even seen, is the factor of its ’sale’ and the ‘deal’ that it will strike - an accusation that does not even have the basics of journalistic respect and truth. For those that have through years constructed something of such value, that its value may never be evaluated, all that you can sarcastically put across in typical word play that all journalists follow is, how amusing it can sound. That is so regrettable. Particularly so, because in a moment of truth you had disclosed to me privately, of how your idealistic periods of training were such a revered moment in your career. Is this a reflection of your reverence. Is this what it taught you ? Go see the film Rajdeep, like it or dislike it, but I shall challenge you that you shall not have a word in disregard to the motive and bearing of the film. For, this film will have the capacity to make you think and nod in approval towards many truths, a desire that I would have and shall expect from people of your standing.

Amitabh Bachchan