Malayalam directors and technicians on Monday staged a sit-in protest in front of the office of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) in Thiruvananthapuram, protesting the board’s refusal to certify the movie Kathakali alleging the portrayal of nudity and vulgarity.
The protest was held by the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (Fefka), which had already gone to the High Court to object to the board’s demand for three cuts, including the climax scene, for the film directed by Saijo Kannanaikkal.
Kannanaikkal, 27, claimed that the CBFC officer was insisting on removing portions that were the ‘soul’ of the movie.
He alleged that the board’s move was an infringement on the creative freedom of a filmmaker.
Kannanaikkal also claimed that a panel of the CBFC had suggested giving the movie a ‘U’ certificate, but the officer was reluctant to any certification without the removal of the ‘objectionable’ scenes.
The two hour-long feature film revolves around the life of an orphan, who tries to create an identity of his own in society.
CBFC recently courted controversy by recommending several cuts in the Bollywood movie Udta Punjab, but failed to get their way.
