I was pleased to read the news that the AP High Court quashed the AP Government order banning the screening of the movie - Da Vinci Code.
I am not going to get into the merits or demerits of the movie itself. That is for historians and theologians to debate about. And I am sure its going to be a perennial debate.
I am also not going to chide a section of the population for taking this movie too seriously. If you dont like it, there is nothing much I can do about it. I cant force you to see the movie or like the movie if you are dead against it. Its your whim and I totally respect it.
However, its none of your damn business to tell me NOT to watch the movie. Unlike everyone else, I have not read the book nor do I intend to. But the movie, I will watch. And there is no way on earth you can stop me or anyone wishing to watch the movie.
Enter the AP Govt. So protective of the offended section of the society, that it promptly bans the movie. Well, I should also add that I was peeved to learn that the censor board had invited these very sections of the society to watch the movie and give their opinion before it was certified.
How dare they ? The censor board did the same thing when it came to certifying 'Rang de Basanti'. Every movie would have someone objecting over something, but that does not mean you hand them a veto. This is plain bad policy.
It is as simple as this - You like it, you watch it. You dont like it, you dont watch it.
If you feel so strongly about the theme of the movie, why dont you go around educating the public as to why you think the movie is humbug. You could perhaps request them not to watch the movie. But a ban is no way to go about doing this.
The Vatican did not call for its ban. France, a catholic country, did not ban the movie. So why should India ? Are they more Christian than the European's !?
I am happy good sense finally prevailed and the ban was lifted by the Hon'ble Andhra Pradesh High Court. I hope governments in the other states like Meghalaya would lift the ban too.
Bottomline - Governments have no business regulating the personal choices of citizens. Nor should one set of the community do the same on the other through their so called unofficial special status.
Two words for the governments in India - Back Off.
3 comments:
Eswar-
Well said. It is not a govt's job to decide WHAT movie the citizen should see or shouldn't. That should be the least of the botheration and the govt. better focus on issues that matter. The High Court did right.
However, there is one important aspect that I feel you have neglected in your post - when you compared with France or the Vatican. A country like India is divided when it comes to religious faiths and we have more fanatics whose ideology is to kill and take revenge. The percentage of such a population is more in India. A movie like DVC just touches the core sentiment of people and that is real dangerous.
For a minute, lets think if a movie is made on similar lines of DVC about - Prophet Muhammad, or Sai Baba, or even Muthuramalinga Thevar - imagine the repurcussion. The movie crew would be dead just for announcing the launch of the movie. So given all the communal problems we have had, WHY do we need a movie (FICTION) touching religious sentiment now ?
The govt may be secular - the people are not, atleast yet.
Anand...welcome back. It would great if you paste the links to the articles you mentioned rather than paste the whole text here.
Shiva...you have a point there. Whats good for the goose has to be good for the gander too.
Anand
Take a break man !!!!! You need to go back to the basics of human living :))
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