bollywood

Updated: Jul 11, 2017 17:30 IST

Filmmakers Khushbu Ranka and Vinay Shukla have decided to lock horns with the chief of Censor Board of Film Certification, Pahlaj Nihalani, who has refused to certify their film, Arvind Kejriwal: An Insignificant Man, unless they get an NOC (No Objection Certificate) from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. However, the two have refused to give in to the “arbitrary demands” of the CBFC chief.

“There is no such rule that we have to get an NOC. He has set impossible conditions to release our film and we cannot agree with them. There is no legit basis of these demands. Such arbitrary demands are made to intimidate filmmakers,” says Shukla.

Apart from seeking NOCs, Nihalani has also asked for six cuts in the film. “ We are not going to go ahead with the cuts either. He wants us to remove the names of political parties such as BJP and Congress,” he adds.

The two are exploring other ways to get a release for their film in India and don’t rule out going to court for the same. “We are still figuring out how we can get beyond this. We are small filmmakers and don’t have that much financial backing. Even the film is crowd-funded. But we are not going to bow down. We will go to court if there’s a need but we want to be sure about it,” says Ranka.

The filmmakers say they have received “overwhelming support” from the industry and the people. “ We spoke to Amol Palekar Sir’s wife Sandhya (who has filed a petition in Supreme Court challenging pre- censorship in films) who has encouraged us to continue our fight and told us that his demands are completely arbitrary. Then on social media as well, people have been supporting us. Thus, I won’t say we are alone in this,” Ranka adds.

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