Kochi/Panaji: The Kerala High Court on Tuesday ordered that the Malayalam film S Durga be screened at the ongoing IFFI in Goa, days after the information and broadcasting ministry dropped the movie from the Indian Panorama section.
A delighted Sanal Kumar Sasisdharan, the director of the film, said the court's ruling was a victory of "cinema and democracy".
The decision was also welcomed by several jury members of the Indian Panorama section as well as sections of the Kerala film industry.
Allowing Sanal's petition, the court directed the ministry to screen the film at the 48th edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), which began in Goa on Monday.
The film's certified copy can be exhibited in the festival, which commenced yesterday (Monday), the court said in its order.
S Durga, which was earlier titled Sexy Durga, narrates the horrifying experience of a hitchhiking couple.
The director moved the court after the film was dropped from the Indian Panorama section of the festival along with the Marathi film Nude. He contended that the ministry's decision to overrule the recommendation of the 13-member jury and pull out the two films was unconstitutional.
Sanal told PTI over the phone from Australia that the decision had reinstated his trust in the judiciary.
"I am very happy. It is a victory of cinema and democracy. People stood by us and believed in us and it has paid off. The chairman resigned, other jury members also resigned," he said.
For the director, who is attending the Asia Pacific Screen in Brisbane, the decision could not have come at a better time. He has been nominated in the best director category for the film at the festival.
"This is a victory for all of us. It is proof that democracy can't be killed and law is for the people," Sanal said.
He said in a tweet later that he was a "poor, helpless, powerless citizen of India" and believed that the "India(n) government" would safeguard his rights as a citizen.
"That is why I am here, as a citizen blindly believing that you will safeguard me. Please don't abandon me... I am nothing but mind you... You are not everything!"
The decision to exclude the two films had led to the resignations of jury chairman Sujoy Ghosh and members Apurva Asrani and Gyan Correa.
Asrani said the Kerala court ruling was a "huge victory" for the director and restored his faith in democracy.
"Fantastic! The court has directed IFFI to screen #SexyDurga on the day #IndianPanorama is inaugurated," he wrote on Twitter.
Jury member Ruchi Narain also expressed her happiness and said the judiciary "metes out" justice.
"The IFFI festival audience will get to see an amazing set of films," Narain told PTI in Panaji.
Director Rahul Rawail, who replaced Ghosh as chairman of the the Indian Panorama jury, however, refrained from commenting on the development.
"This matter is sub judice and until the ministry orders I can't say much on this. I have not received any order about the screening from the ministry yet," he told PTI.
Nishikant Kamat, another jury member, said everyone should respect the decision of the judiciary.
There was, he added, obvious disappointment when the jury's well considered decision to include the film in the Panorama section was not considered.
Six jury members, including Narain, had written to information and broadcasting minister Smriti Irani on Sunday to express their concern.
The court decision was welcomed by several members of the Kerala film industry.
Director Vidhu Vincent said the Kerala High Court verdict is a "hope giving" development for filmmakers and artistes.
Filmmaker V K Prakash added that the verdict is a solace to independent filmmakers like Sanal.
"The I and B ministry's decision to drop 'S Durga' from IFFI is nothing but the intervention of the government machinery in artistic freedom. It should not have happened. Especially as the movie was selected by an expert panel," he told PTI.
Expressing happiness, popular Malayalam director Kamal, also the chairman of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, the state-owned body that organizes the IFFK, said it was very strange that the film was pulled out.
"One fails to understand why creativity has to face numerous stumbling blocks. To get it screened, one has to approach the court. This does not augur well," Kamal said.
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