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Applause Entertainment, a production company owned by the Birla group, has abruptly scrapped the production of a show which was set against the backdrop of Hindutva in India, including how the seeds of communalism were sown during BJPleader LK Advani’s Rath Yatra in 1990.
According to people familiar with the development, the show was called Saffron Skies and the crew shot for nearly 10 days in Mumbai before the top brass at the company decided to call it off midway
A source involved with the production told HuffPost India that the company was worried about possible backlash, given the political nature of the show. Applause, however, denies that this was the reason.
Director Sanjay Upadhyay, who wrote and developed the script, confirmed the development.
“Yes, the show isn’t happening anymore. They simply told me there were creative differences without being specific about it. It came as a surprise,” he told HuffPost India.
Indian filmmakers have often faced opposition when they have tried to handle ‘sensitive’ subjects that offend people’s sentiments, not a particularly difficult task in India. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), known as the censor board, often gives a tough time to filmmakers by demanding arbitrary cuts for reasons ranging from the length of a kiss to the utterance of the word ‘lesbian’, and non-state actors encouraged by the government’s inaction don’t think twice before threatening violence.
Our understanding of the term "freedom of Expression" is so very different than in the west.
According to people familiar with the development, the show was called Saffron Skies and the crew shot for nearly 10 days in Mumbai before the top brass at the company decided to call it off midway
A source involved with the production told HuffPost India that the company was worried about possible backlash, given the political nature of the show. Applause, however, denies that this was the reason.
Director Sanjay Upadhyay, who wrote and developed the script, confirmed the development.
“Yes, the show isn’t happening anymore. They simply told me there were creative differences without being specific about it. It came as a surprise,” he told HuffPost India.
Indian filmmakers have often faced opposition when they have tried to handle ‘sensitive’ subjects that offend people’s sentiments, not a particularly difficult task in India. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), known as the censor board, often gives a tough time to filmmakers by demanding arbitrary cuts for reasons ranging from the length of a kiss to the utterance of the word ‘lesbian’, and non-state actors encouraged by the government’s inaction don’t think twice before threatening violence.
Birla's Applause Entertainment Scraps Show On Hindutva For One On Surgical Strikes
While 'Saffron Skies' was pulled after shooting began, Applause Entertainment has other shows in the pipeline, including one on the 2016 surgical strike.
www.huffingtonpost.in
Our understanding of the term "freedom of Expression" is so very different than in the west.