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Ramayana Part 1: Who Gets To Review This Ranbir Kapoor-Starrer Film?
President of Shri Ramlila Mahasangh has demanded the makers of Ramayana: Part 1 to show them the film before the release for them to review it
Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana Part 1 has been faced with a fresh controversy. The creators have met with an unusual demand from the Shri Ramlila Mahasangh, a Delhi-based umbrella organisation of religious bodies and Ramlila committees. Earlier this month, President Arjun Kumar, in a formal letter, demanded that the makers of Ramayana Part 1 host a special screening for the committee to review the scenes and dialogues of the film before its release. According to reports, the demand has been made to ensure nothing in the film hurts the religious sentiments. The committee has also warned the makers that if the demand is not accepted, Shri Ramlila Mahasangh, along with other Hindu organisations, will stage protests across theatres in Delhi and other states.
But are such requests by an external body fair to filmmakers? Writer-director Umesh Shukla, who is known for helming Oh My God (2012), is in favour of showing the film to the committee. He says, “During Oh My God (2012), we had also faced a similar issue, and we had shown the film to people opposing… If there are no objectionable elements in your film, I would suggest that the [makers of Ramayana Part 1] should show the film. Nitesh Tiwari is a responsible filmmaker. They all do a good job, and I am sure they would not have done anything objectionable in the film. It is always better to take people in good faith and walk together.”
However, director Sudipto Sen, who is known for The Kerala Story (2023), has a different opinion. “What I know is that there are about 300 different versions of Ramayana in the entire country, and I don’t think there is any government or academic body in the country that can tell which version is authentic and which one is not. So, if one organisation claims it will authenticate, that is not right,” says the 61-year-old.
Sen believes that only a body like the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) can call in an expert for an opinion. “Our censor board, CBFC, has a very nice system. First, the members will watch the film, and if they find anything objectionable, then they call the experts. I have gone through similar things for all my films, as my movies are quote-unquote controversial,” he shares.
While Sen says that CBFC is the best body to decide, the Shri Ramlila Mahasangh had, in its letter, warned the makers of the Ranbir Kapoor-starrer film of a protest. Commenting on this, Sen says, “This is the new trend now. The government and censor board should not encourage that. More power to such kinds of organisations has different implications to it. Nowhere in the world do such things happen. I don’t think any non-serious organisation about the art form has anything to do with the film.”
Trade analyst Atul Mohan agrees that only CFBC gets to decide “what should be there and what should be cut”. He also points out that the “makers are sensible and won’t repeat the same mistakes as Adipurush (2023)”. But will it affect the box office in a positive way? He says, “When there is a controversy, there is a curiosity generated among the audiences. As a maker, how you encash it is up to you.”
Trade analyst Akshay Rathi also reiterates that CBFC is the only body that can approve and review a film before its release. “It needs to be amply clear that the only governing authority that decides what kind of content can be shown in cinema or not is the CBFC.” However, he says that if any body that has any issues with the film or has a doubt about its authenticity, they should go to the court of law. “Unless that happens, there’s no compulsion for the producers to showcase their movie to any body,” he shares.
