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are things really changing?
I was looking forward to watching ‘Jashn-e-Azaadi’, the documentary by Sanjay Kak at Prithvi on the 30th and i get this email today:
“Dear Friends, We write to bring to your notice yet another violation of the freedom of expression in India. On Friday, 27 July 2007, a posse of policemen attached to the Dadar police station in Bombay broke into a private screening of Sanjay Kak’s documentary, ‘Jashn-e-Azaadi’, and confiscated the DVD. The screening, which was hosted by the Vikalp group of independent filmmakers, was intended to bring to a Bombay audience an eloquent cinematic argument for dialogue beyond anguish and antagonism; for an understanding of the ‘Kashmir issue’ in human and cultural terms. Kak’s ‘Jashn-e-Azaadi’ dwells on the experience of the Kashmiri people during the protracted period of strife they have suffered — with equal elements of militancy, State repression, criminal violence, and a struggle for self-articulation. According to the Bombay police, it contains “scenes of a provocative nature”. To disrupt the screening of such a documentary is only to re-enact the brutality that has become the tragic norm in the Valley. We strongly deplore this violation of the right of Indian citizens to examine, express and discuss questions of great public importance, without falling in line with the official view on these questions. Such high-handedness cuts at the very root of democracy. Please forward this email to all. Ranjit Hoskote Hon. Secretary-Treasurer THE PEN ALL-INDIA CENTRE Drishti Media,Arts & Human Rights Ahmedabad.”
Happy Independence day!
I hope they still go ahead with the next screening on July 30, 2007 (Mon) - 7 pm
Vikalp: Films for Freedom @ Prithvi House, Juhu and those in Mumbai can be there.
More about the film on: http://kashmirfilm.wordpress.com/synopsis/
15 Responses to “are things really changing?”
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Smriti,
I totally agree with your views and opinion, will try to make it there n the 30th…
Smriti, that is totally unacceptable behaviour by the Bombay police……’scenes of a provocative nature’!! Look around Bombay for cryin out loud…there are scenes of a provocative nature all over the place!
Is it the present administration that is to blame for this atrocious act? Would someone kindly shed light on this?
I am into foreign and domestic distribution here in LA…how do I go about contacting the filmmaker for U.S screenings?
thx surya
viczee..this news report says the cops had “orders from seniors” :
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/net/mmpaper.aspx?page=article§id=15&contentid=20070728031556781201f14f0
how to make the morons understand that if a select group of concerned individuals, film makers themselves are not allowed to watch a film like this then there’s even less hope for resolving the chaos that the film talks about anyway!
here’s an email address from their website:
for more information about screenings, sales and broadcast write to
jashneazadifilmATgmail.com
If the next mumbai screening is permitted as it should, i’ll surely be there and do a blog about it here.
@Smriti, what Sanjay Kak want to show in his documentry?? brutality of indian army?? or some peoples who want separate kashmir?? or protest of some pakistan sponsor parties against our own india?? what will happen if some people from u.p or maharastra will want a free country,you also support them??
Hey Smriti
Am looking forward to seeing the film… and the Police stopping the screening is a shame. I think as a democratic society (that
Hi Smriti,
State repression is a well documented fact in India. The problem is that even the media does not choose to highlight these issues anymore. It is a sad thing. Kashmir, North East, Gujarat and some other significant pockets are facing all forms of crude repressions every day.
The path forward is to spread the word, keep doing what you are doing and hammer at being truly democratic! The society has got this herd mentality and shall come around when the hammer would seem very interesting!!
@ shatrughan - i have to watch the film to comment about it. but, i should be allowed to watch it right? or you think a cop in mumbai should decide whether a group of film makers can be allowed to sit together and watch a certain documentary they want to?
Totally agree with you Onir.
Indraneel - true. final solution, war and peace….
Jashn-e-Azadi update - Last night, an upset
prithvi house where the cops had found another
reason to stop the next mumbai screening and
sent out a notice - you need a censor
certificate. (For a gathering of 50 film makers???) The DVD hasn;t been returned since friday.
The film maker Sanjay Kak felt confiscating a
single DVD cannot stop audiences from watching
a film they want to watch especially when the
film has travelled and been watched in several
cities all over the country already, including
Srinagar.
Add to that it’s not physically possible for the police to stop individuals from watching the film in smaller groups and individual Cds.
When they came to stop the friday screening -
it was a whole team of cops and plain clothes
personnel that barged in with an elaborate
‘panch-nama’ (description of what they seized and how) They acted upon an e-mail
which claimed the film was inflammatory.
@ viczee - why did this happen: what i got
from their discussion yesterday was that it’s
possibly got to do with ‘kashmir’. They want to suppress information they’ll find a way to do it. While gujrat was burning, any thing on gujrat was put through hell and now this.
Also, there are some loopholes with what
constitutes a private screening/preview.
Clearly the press has been supportive of the
film maker in this case as it should.
There are bound to be more screenings, smaller
groups.
I’ll be attending one and will blog about the film then.
Vikalp, the group that organised the screening also has bit of a history. you can visit them here:
http://www.freedomfilmsindia.org/default.asp
Jashn-e-Azadi-Half truths and Mental Frames
Vivek has never been to Kashmir, he knows Kashmir as any other Indian would, through biased NDTV programs or through newspapers which don
Smriti, it would be greatly appreciated if you could convert Rashneek’s comment into a post since he has obviously seen the film….I would love to know more about this, it is highly intriguing and I myself am originally from Kashmir and am quite aware of the intrinsic issues.Can you put him in touch with me via email?
Thanks
xxx
Rashneek : i respect your comments. thank you for speaking here. i just hoped that they;ll at least allow us to watch the film so that the film maker can be questioned and these discussions could take place in that space as well.
viczee: i have sent a common email to you and rashneek. i’ll forward the post to Oz maybe he could post it under iView
[admin note: partially edited. comment violates PFC's comment policy. commenter is warned to refrain from personal attacks.]
This is what they actually want. Rake up enough mud and attention so that people actually watch their propaganda films in the name of “freedom”.
Civil liberties lies not in watching movies that tries to completely whitewash the killings and cleansing of hindus from the valley.
Just my two cents. Thanks.
I frankly think that commie bastards like kak should not be encouraged in this forum. I think true Civil liberties will prevail in this country when we round up all the commie bastards from vikalp and people like Kak are all rounded up and shot dead en masse.
Smriti, any documentary that addresses something as delicate and volatile as Kashmir, requires an incredible amount of clarity of vision and purpose, not to mention an immense sensitivity to be able to see the holistic picture, without biases or seemingly propogating personal agendas.
For the rest of the world it may be of academic, or perhaps deeper interest, but it touches upon the pain and opens up the wounds of those that have lived the horror.
A while ago, I wrote a script based in Kashmir for Sourabh Narang, and we knew that any amount of research and personal interaction would still leave us ill-equipped to wholly comprehend what they have been through and continue to live with every moment, every day.
Be that as it may, I firmly believe that the chroniclers need to have their voices heard. This muzzling and repression by the lawbearers is shocking violation of all the tenets of democracy and freedom of expression.
hahaha!!! let “just another struggler” have the freedom to express his views
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