Chandigarh, India (February 03, 2014): According to information available with the Sikh Siyasat News (SSN) Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has refused to grant clearance certificate to Punjabi movie Kaum De Heere.
The movie is reportedly based on life and martyrdom of Bhai Beant Singh and Satwant Singh, who had assassinated Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in October 1984 after later had ordered armed invasion of Darbar Sahib Amritsar in June 1984.
The movie was scheduled for release on Febuary 28 but it was denied clearance certificate by CBFC on January 29. CBFC clearance certificate is necessary for the screening of any moive/ film in India.
Ravinder Ravi, director of Kaum De Heere, who was present when the movie was reviewed by the members of CBFC, said: “Censor Board’s attitude was very discouraging. I realized that they had pre-decided not to clear this movie. They did not listen to any of our logics, arguments or justifications”.
“They refused out-rightly to clear our movie saying that it violates the guidelines of the film censor board” Ravinder Ravi told Sikh Siyasat News (SSN).
“When I insisted them to disclose the reasons, they said you have attempted to present Indira Gandhi’s killers as heroes”, he added.
“I told them that I had visualized what was already there in legal records, published books or otherwise available in Public domain and I did not make any additions on my own” he added.
“Then they said that why did not you justify or clear the government’s stand on Operation Blue Star that why the government had to do that?” said the director of the movie.
“I told then that firstly the government should tell that why the Operation Blue Star was conducted, what were the problems that the government launched it overnight especially when lakhs of Sikh men, women, children were present there to observe the martyrdom day of Guru Arjan Dev Ji. What was the compulsion that tanks were used there and a genocide… a massacre was carried. I did not find any clarifications from the government over it in last 30 years. If you know it, in which books it is written, then tell me” director Ravinder Ravi said.
“They had no answers, and ultimately they concluded the argument by saying that this movie violated their guidelines, and they refused the clearance to the movie” he added.
Raj Kakra, who is playing the role of Bhai Beant Singh in this movie, said that the team of Kaum De Heere shall move to Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) against the decision of CBFC.