Filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane, who has often locked horns with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), says no one should instruct an adult what to watch.
In the wake of denial of the CBFC certificate to “Lipstick Under My Burkha”, Motwane told IANS: “There should be certification and not censorship of any content. They (CBFC) can certify a film for a certain age group but why to censor a story or content saying, ‘This is not fit for consumption” No one should instruct an adult what to watch.”
The filmmaker, under the banner of Phantom Films, has produced films like “Udta Punjab“, based on the menace of drugs in Punjab, and dark movie “NH10” that faced trouble with the censor board.
Motwane said: “As an adult, if I can vote, drive a car and have children… I can also watch everything that I wish to watch. All contents are fit for consumption after a certain age and that is why I believe certification is the right thing to do instead of censoring something.”
“A reformation (regarding censorship and film certification) is needed. Moreover, the fact of the matter is nothing happened after the release of ‘Udta Punjab’ or ‘Haraamkhor’ and other films…There was no uproar among the mass audience. So what are they worried about,” asked the filmmaker.
He is now waiting for the release of his forthcoming directorial “Trapped”, featuring National Award-winning actor Rajkummar Rao.
Motwane says the story of the film, which revolves around a man who gets stuck in an empty high-rise without food, water or electricity, is quite intriguing.
“I generally respond to any story very organically. Therefore, when I heard the story of ‘Trapped’…it was quite intriguing for me to think about such a subject where a man is stuck in an apartment.”
“Nobody in Hindi cinema has ever made a film on that before. So, I thought of taking it up. Whether as a producer or as a director, my initial response goes to the story. Later, comes the technical part of the execution,” he said.
Asked if Rajkummar was the first choice for the role, Motwane said: “Absolutely. There was no second choice. He is one of the finest actors in recent time…He has proved that time and again with films like ‘Shahid’, ‘CityLights’ and ‘Queen’. So yes, he was the choice for the film.”
“Trapped” is slated to release on March 17.
