After weeks of uncertainty, Malayalam film S Durga will not be screened at the International Film Festival Of India. IFFI jury had complained to CBFC regarding the change in film&#39;s title and CBFC has now sent a letter to the film&#39;s makers announcing that the film will not be screened at the festival, which ends today.&nbsp;

A screening of the censored version of the film was held for the jury on Monday and in a letter dated today, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) wrote to the producers asking them to resubmit the movie, which was earlier given a U/A certificate. 
 
The bone of contention seems to be the hashtag that follow the letter &quot;S&quot; in the revised title of the movie, which was earlier named Sexy Durga. 
 
&quot;It appears that you have prima facie, deliberately violated the Rule 33 of the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 1983 and hence invocation of Section 5E(1) (i) of the Cinematograph Act, 1952 may be considered. 
 
&quot;In this connection, I am directed to inform you that the above film will be re-examined under the provision of the Cinematograph Act, 1952 and Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 1983, with the date and venue being notified to you soon,&quot; said the letter, which was addressed to Shaji Mathew, the producer of the film. 
 
The letter stated that the board had &quot;received complaints from the IFFI jury at Goa over the title of the film&quot;. 
 
According to the letter, the director had shown S### Durga&nbsp;on the title card which the board says &quot;has totally different implications and are effectively undermining and attempting to defeat the very basis of the title registration and changes effected thereby&quot;. 
 
The CBFC said the makers cannot exhibit the film further until the board reexamines it. It said a suitable date and time will be conveyed to the makers soon.&nbsp;

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CBFC letter sent to the makers of S Durga (ANI)
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Immediately after the CBFC order, IFFI director Sunit Tandon wrote to Sanal, notifying him that the movie will not be showcased due to the CBFC&#39;s intervention. 
 
&quot;This is to inform you that all steps were taken to ensure compliance with the hon&#39;ble court&#39;s order and a screening of the certified version of your film S Durga&nbsp;was arranged last evening for the feature film jury for the Indian Panorama 2017 as duly constituted by the Ministry of Information &amp; Broadcasting. 
 
&quot;Following the screening certain issues related to the certification of the film with reference to the title of the film were raised. This was referred to the CBFC for clarification. In response to the queries, CBFC has issued the orders attached herewith.

&quot;As a consequence to the orders of CBFC, the film cannot be exhibited till the issues are resolved,&quot; he wrote. 
 
The film was dropped from the final IFFI list by the Information and Broadcasting ministry, prompting the director to move to the Kerala High Court. 
 
The court ruled in Sanal&#39;s favour and directed the ministry to screen the film at the festival and the ministry tried to obtain a stay order on the Kerala High Court&#39;s decision but it was denied by the court.

Earlier in the day, Sanal said a majority of members of the Indian Panorama jury voted in favour of his film screened after watching its censored version last night.

&quot;I got to know that seven of the members were in favour of the screening of S Durga, but three new members on the panel as well one of the old members opposed the screening,&quot; Sanal claimed. 
 
The three new members Sudhir Chaudhary, Satish Kaushik and Vivek Agnihotri -- were inducted in the jury after its chairman Sujoy Ghosh and members Apurva Asrani and Gyan Correa resigned in protest over the exclusion of S Durga&nbsp;and Nude&nbsp;from the festival. 
 
Filmmaker Rahul Rawail was appointed as the new chairman of the Indian Panorama section.&nbsp;

The bone of contention seems to be the hashtag that follow the letter "S" in the revised title of the movie, which was earlier named Sexy Durga

After weeks of uncertainty, Malayalam film S Durga will not be screened at the International Film Festival Of India. IFFI jury had complained to CBFC regarding the change in film's title and CBFC has now sent a letter to the film's makers announcing that the film will not be screened at the festival, which ends today. A screening of the censored version of the film was held for the jury on Monday and in a letter dated today, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) wrote to the producers asking them to resubmit the movie, which was earlier given a U/A certificate. The bone of contention seems to be the hashtag that follow the letter "S" in the revised title of the movie, which was earlier named Sexy Durga. "It appears that you have prima facie, deliberately violated the Rule 33 of the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 1983 and hence invocation of Section 5E(1) (i) of the Cinematograph Act, 1952 may be considered. "In this connection, I am directed to inform you that the above film will be re-examined under the provision of the Cinematograph Act, 1952 and Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 1983, with the date and venue being notified to you soon," said the letter, which was addressed to Shaji Mathew, the producer of the film. The letter stated that the board had "received complaints from the IFFI jury at Goa over the title of the film". According to the letter, the director had shown S### Durga on the title card which the board says "has totally different implications and are effectively undermining and attempting to defeat the very basis of the title registration and changes effected thereby". The CBFC said the makers cannot exhibit the film further until the board reexamines it. It said a suitable date and time will be conveyed to the makers soon. CBFC letter sent to the makers of S Durga (ANI) × Immediately after the CBFC order, IFFI director Sunit Tandon wrote to Sanal, notifying him that the movie will not be showcased due to the CBFC's intervention. "This is to inform you that all steps were taken to ensure compliance with the hon'ble court's order and a screening of the certified version of your film S Durga was arranged last evening for the feature film jury for the Indian Panorama 2017 as duly constituted by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. "Following the screening certain issues related to the certification of the film with reference to the title of the film were raised. This was referred to the CBFC for clarification. In response to the queries, CBFC has issued the orders attached herewith. "As a consequence to the orders of CBFC, the film cannot be exhibited till the issues are resolved," he wrote. The film was dropped from the final IFFI list by the Information and Broadcasting ministry, prompting the director to move to the Kerala High Court. The court ruled in Sanal's favour and directed the ministry to screen the film at the festival and the ministry tried to obtain a stay order on the Kerala High Court's decision but it was denied by the court. Earlier in the day, Sanal said a majority of members of the Indian Panorama jury voted in favour of his film screened after watching its censored version last night. "I got to know that seven of the members were in favour of the screening of S Durga, but three new members on the panel as well one of the old members opposed the screening," Sanal claimed. The three new members Sudhir Chaudhary, Satish Kaushik and Vivek Agnihotri -- were inducted in the jury after its chairman Sujoy Ghosh and members Apurva Asrani and Gyan Correa resigned in protest over the exclusion of S Durga and Nude from the festival. Filmmaker Rahul Rawail was appointed as the new chairman of the Indian Panorama section.

It is official. IFFI will not screen Malayalam film 'S Durga'; CBFC orders reexamination

After days of uncertainty over the screening of S Durga at the ongoing International Film Festival Of India, the festival director&nbsp;Sunil Tandon has finally sent a letter to the film&rsquo;s director Sanal Sasidharan asking him to submit the censored copy of the film for screening.

A spokesperson for the filmmaker said on Saturday that the required documents and film copies would be submitted to the IFFI organisers by the afternoon.

The film was unceremoniously dropped from the festival last week despite being chosen by the 13 member jury. Marathi film Nude was also dropped. Sasidharan had appealed to the court to intervene.

Earlier this week, the Kerala High Court directed IFFI to screen the film at the festival. Sasidharan had later stated that despite court order the film wasn&rsquo;t being screened at the festival taking place in Goa.

The film was unceremoniously dropped from the festival last week despite being chosen by the 13 member jury

After days of uncertainty over the screening of S Durga at the ongoing International Film Festival Of India, the festival director Sunil Tandon has finally sent a letter to the film’s director Sanal Sasidharan asking him to submit the censored copy of the film for screening. A spokesperson for the filmmaker said on Saturday that the required documents and film copies would be submitted to the IFFI organisers by the afternoon. The film was unceremoniously dropped from the festival last week despite being chosen by the 13 member jury. Marathi film Nude was also dropped. Sasidharan had appealed to the court to intervene. Earlier this week, the Kerala High Court directed IFFI to screen the film at the festival. Sasidharan had later stated that despite court order the film wasn’t being screened at the festival taking place in Goa.

IFFI asks 'S Durga' director to submit censored copy to festival

Malayalam film S&nbsp;Durga&#39;s&nbsp;film director Sanal Kumar Sasidharan wrote a letter to IFFI director Sunit Tandon to &quot;schedule a screening date for his film&quot; amid complaints by lead actor&nbsp;Kannan Nayar that festival authorities are &quot;avoiding&quot; him.&nbsp;&nbsp;

In a fresh series of complaints, Sasidharan writes that requests to screen his film at the film festival are not being taken seriously and that the authorities are &quot;yet to respond&quot;&nbsp;to him.&nbsp;

The film &quot;S&nbsp;Durga&quot;&nbsp;was earlier pulled out from the&nbsp;Panorama section of the 48th edition of the ongoing International Film Festival of India (IFFI) along with Marathi film &quot;Nude&quot;.

Sasidharan had then filed a writ petition in the Kerala High Court against the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-ib-ministry-explains-why-it-decided-to-drop-s-durga-and-nude-from-iffi-this-year-24219" target="_blank">Information and Broadcasting Ministry&#39;s decision to exclude his film from the festival</a>.

The<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/iffi-2017-kerala-high-court-orders-screening-of-s-durga-at-the-festival-24745" target="_blank"> court recently ruled</a> in his favour and ordered the ministry to screen the film at the nine-day-long festival, which runs till November 28.

Even after a positive ruling, Sasidharan claims that IFFI has not taken any action in screening the film and thus he wrote a letter to the director&nbsp;of the film himself.&nbsp;

The letter, along with the court order, was handed over to Sunit Tandon by lead actor Nayar.&nbsp;

Nayar told PTI,&nbsp;&quot;We didn&#39;t get any information from the I&amp;B ministry. I had approached Sunit Tandon but he is not responding and has been avoiding me. He said he is not the right person to talk about the issue. I feel they (IFFI and the ministry) are wasting time. I am here as a delegate and they are treating me really badly.&quot;

In the letter, Sasidharan wrote, &quot;I am the director of the film &#39;S Durga&#39;. I am writing to you to inform that my representative, Mr Kannan Nayar shall be handing over (copy of the same is attached herewith) the order dated 21/11/17 passed by the honourable High Court of Kerala in W P (C) 36600/2017 whereby your office was directed to exhibit my film &#39;S Durga&#39; in the IFFI presently held at Goa.

&quot;Kindly schedule a date for the screening for my film &#39;S Durga&#39;. Please let me know the date urgently so that I and my entire team can be present along with the censored version of the said film,&quot; Sasidharan wrote in the letter.

Sexy Durga follows the struggle of a modern couple who face a series of problems.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

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The Kerala High Court had recently ordered the I&B ministry to screen the film at the nine-day-long festival

Malayalam film S Durga's film director Sanal Kumar Sasidharan wrote a letter to IFFI director Sunit Tandon to "schedule a screening date for his film" amid complaints by lead actor Kannan Nayar that festival authorities are "avoiding" him. In a fresh series of complaints, Sasidharan writes that requests to screen his film at the film festival are not being taken seriously and that the authorities are "yet to respond" to him. The film "S Durga" was earlier pulled out from the Panorama section of the 48th edition of the ongoing International Film Festival of India (IFFI) along with Marathi film "Nude". Sasidharan had then filed a writ petition in the Kerala High Court against the Information and Broadcasting Ministry's decision to exclude his film from the festival. The court recently ruled in his favour and ordered the ministry to screen the film at the nine-day-long festival, which runs till November 28. Even after a positive ruling, Sasidharan claims that IFFI has not taken any action in screening the film and thus he wrote a letter to the director of the film himself. The letter, along with the court order, was handed over to Sunit Tandon by lead actor Nayar. Nayar told PTI, "We didn't get any information from the I&B ministry. I had approached Sunit Tandon but he is not responding and has been avoiding me. He said he is not the right person to talk about the issue. I feel they (IFFI and the ministry) are wasting time. I am here as a delegate and they are treating me really badly." In the letter, Sasidharan wrote, "I am the director of the film 'S Durga'. I am writing to you to inform that my representative, Mr Kannan Nayar shall be handing over (copy of the same is attached herewith) the order dated 21/11/17 passed by the honourable High Court of Kerala in W P (C) 36600/2017 whereby your office was directed to exhibit my film 'S Durga' in the IFFI presently held at Goa. "Kindly schedule a date for the screening for my film 'S Durga'. Please let me know the date urgently so that I and my entire team can be present along with the censored version of the said film," Sasidharan wrote in the letter. Sexy Durga follows the struggle of a modern couple who face a series of problems.

S Durga director writes a letter, complains IFFI 'not screening film', 'avoiding' him

Film director and Panaroma Jury Head of the 48th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) Rahul Rawail expressed solidarity with the makers of the upcoming movie Padmavati&nbsp;on Tuesday. 
 
Comparing the movie with the yesteryear classic, Mughal-e-Azam, which was also a variation of history, Rawail reasoned that Padmavati&nbsp;did not warrant protestation.&quot;Anarkali is a completely fictitious character. Anarkali does not exist in history. If today Mughal-e-Azam is released, will they ban it? They will not,&quot; Rawail told reporters here. 
 
&quot;Bhansali has made Padmavati with a lot of conviction and hard work. He is not going to play around with history, but as a filmmaker, he will have his own take without disturbing history,&quot; he added. 
 
Rawail said that the issue should have been tackled in a better way, adding, &quot;I admire Bhansali and Viacom for agreeing to postpone the release, because in these circumstances, it could have created a lot of violence.&quot; 
 
Sanjay Leela Bhansali`s period drama, starring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor, has been mired in a slew of controversies for allegedly tampering with historical facts.On Monday, the producers voluntarily postponed its release date in the face of the absence of requisite clearances.&nbsp; 
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Film director Rahul Rawail expressed solidarity with the makers of the upcoming movie Padmavati

Film director and Panaroma Jury Head of the 48th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) Rahul Rawail expressed solidarity with the makers of the upcoming movie Padmavati on Tuesday. Comparing the movie with the yesteryear classic, Mughal-e-Azam, which was also a variation of history, Rawail reasoned that Padmavati did not warrant protestation."Anarkali is a completely fictitious character. Anarkali does not exist in history. If today Mughal-e-Azam is released, will they ban it? They will not," Rawail told reporters here. "Bhansali has made Padmavati with a lot of conviction and hard work. He is not going to play around with history, but as a filmmaker, he will have his own take without disturbing history," he added. Rawail said that the issue should have been tackled in a better way, adding, "I admire Bhansali and Viacom for agreeing to postpone the release, because in these circumstances, it could have created a lot of violence." Sanjay Leela Bhansali`s period drama, starring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor, has been mired in a slew of controversies for allegedly tampering with historical facts.On Monday, the producers voluntarily postponed its release date in the face of the absence of requisite clearances.

If people can accept Mughal-e-Azam, then why to oppose Padmavati release, asks Rahul Rawail

Newcomer Ishaan Khatter, who is making his debut with Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi&#39;s Beyond the Clouds, said he wants to be a part of films he can emotionally connect with. 
 
&quot;From an actor&#39;s perspective, I would be really happy to work in a film which has relevant content with which I can connect emotionally. I would not like to limit myself to certain kind of cinema or roles. I would be happy to explore as many avenues as possible,&quot; he said. 
 
Ishaan said it was an &quot;empowering experience&quot; to work with the acclaimed director. 
 
&quot;Honestly, for me to make a debut with Majidi sir was not much of a decision to make. It was really a great break. Honey Trehan (casting director) called me in and I had a small conversation with Majidi sir,&quot; the debutant said on the sidelines of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI). 
 
&quot;I am a huge admirer of Majidi sir&#39;s work. I just want to be a part of good films. It is not a calculated decision. It is just instinctive and it is an honour to work with him... It has given us an empowering experience which will last with us forever,&quot; he added.

He may be making his debut with alternative cinema but Ishaan has already signed a big-ticket Bollywood movie in Dhadak&nbsp;with Karan Johar&#39;s Dharma Productions. 
 
Ishaan, who is Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor&#39;s half- brother, will star with veteran actor Sridevi&#39;s daughter, Janhvi Kapoor in the movie, which is an official Hindi remake of Marathi blockbuster Sairat. 
 
His co-star, Malayalam actor Malavika Mohanan, said although she felt the performance pressure when she came onboard the project, working with Majidi was a &quot;precious opportunity&quot; for her. 
 
&quot;One doesn&#39;t get an opportunity like this every day. Most actors don&#39;t get a film like this in their whole career. There was a pressure to give heart and soul to the film and there was a fear what if we are not able to deliver what is expected from us,&quot; she said. 
 
Mohanan added, &quot;Having said that, I have been a student of cinema and I knew the relevance of Majid Majidi and I never thought I was acting in his film. It was surreal. It was a dream team to work with. The performance he brings out of actors is an amazing.

Ishaan Khatter is making his debut with Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi's Beyond the Clouds

Newcomer Ishaan Khatter, who is making his debut with Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi's Beyond the Clouds, said he wants to be a part of films he can emotionally connect with. "From an actor's perspective, I would be really happy to work in a film which has relevant content with which I can connect emotionally. I would not like to limit myself to certain kind of cinema or roles. I would be happy to explore as many avenues as possible," he said. Ishaan said it was an "empowering experience" to work with the acclaimed director. "Honestly, for me to make a debut with Majidi sir was not much of a decision to make. It was really a great break. Honey Trehan (casting director) called me in and I had a small conversation with Majidi sir," the debutant said on the sidelines of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI). "I am a huge admirer of Majidi sir's work. I just want to be a part of good films. It is not a calculated decision. It is just instinctive and it is an honour to work with him... It has given us an empowering experience which will last with us forever," he added. He may be making his debut with alternative cinema but Ishaan has already signed a big-ticket Bollywood movie in Dhadak with Karan Johar's Dharma Productions. Ishaan, who is Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor's half- brother, will star with veteran actor Sridevi's daughter, Janhvi Kapoor in the movie, which is an official Hindi remake of Marathi blockbuster Sairat. His co-star, Malayalam actor Malavika Mohanan, said although she felt the performance pressure when she came onboard the project, working with Majidi was a "precious opportunity" for her. "One doesn't get an opportunity like this every day. Most actors don't get a film like this in their whole career. There was a pressure to give heart and soul to the film and there was a fear what if we are not able to deliver what is expected from us," she said. Mohanan added, "Having said that, I have been a student of cinema and I knew the relevance of Majid Majidi and I never thought I was acting in his film. It was surreal. It was a dream team to work with. The performance he brings out of actors is an amazing.

Working with Majid Majidi was not a calculated decision, just a great break: Ishaan Khatter on his debut in 'Beyond the Clouds'

The Kerala High Court on Tuesday ordered the screening of Malayalam film S Durga&nbsp;at the ongoing IFFI in Goa, days after the Information and Broadcasting Ministry dropped the movie from the festival. 
 
Allowing a petition by the film&#39;s director Sanal Kumar Sasidharan, Justice B Vinod Chandran directed the ministry to screen it at the 48th edition of International Film Festival of India (IFFI).&nbsp;The film&#39;s certified copy can be exhibited at the festival, which commenced yesterday, the court said in its order. 
 
Sasidharan had moved the court after the film was dropped from the Panorama section of the festival, contending that the decision was unconstitutional.&nbsp;Overruling the recommendation of the 13-member jury, the I&amp;B ministry pulled out S Durga&nbsp;and Marathi movie Nude&nbsp;from the festival, which will continue till November 28. 
 
The petitioner submitted that the ministry &quot;arbitrarily vetoed&quot; the decision of the jury &quot;without any authority of law&quot; and excluded the film from the Indian Panorama section, without notice to him and also without assigning any reason. 
 
He further stated that some fringe elements protested against the film, based on their misunderstanding that the original title Sexy Durga&nbsp;referred to Goddess Durga whereas the work has nothing against the goddess or any other religious figures. 
 
The film, a road movie that follows the horrifying experience of two hitchhikers, a man and a woman, at the hands of two men in the dead of the night, won the Hivos Tiger Award in the International Film Festival Rotterdam 2017.&nbsp;

Reacting to the news, the elated director said, &quot;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.&quot; 
 
For the director, who is in Australia for Asia Pacific Screen Awards where he is nominated in the best director category for S Durga, the decision could not have come at a better time. 
 
&quot;This is a victory for all of us. It is a proof that democracy can&#39;t be killed and law is for the people,&quot; Sanal said to PTI.

Director Sanal Kumar Sasidharan had moved the court after the film was dropped from the Panorama section of the festival

The Kerala High Court on Tuesday ordered the screening of Malayalam film S Durga at the ongoing IFFI in Goa, days after the Information and Broadcasting Ministry dropped the movie from the festival. Allowing a petition by the film's director Sanal Kumar Sasidharan, Justice B Vinod Chandran directed the ministry to screen it at the 48th edition of International Film Festival of India (IFFI). The film's certified copy can be exhibited at the festival, which commenced yesterday, the court said in its order. Sasidharan had moved the court after the film was dropped from the Panorama section of the festival, contending that the decision was unconstitutional. Overruling the recommendation of the 13-member jury, the I&B ministry pulled out S Durga and Marathi movie Nude from the festival, which will continue till November 28. The petitioner submitted that the ministry "arbitrarily vetoed" the decision of the jury "without any authority of law" and excluded the film from the Indian Panorama section, without notice to him and also without assigning any reason. He further stated that some fringe elements protested against the film, based on their misunderstanding that the original title Sexy Durga referred to Goddess Durga whereas the work has nothing against the goddess or any other religious figures. The film, a road movie that follows the horrifying experience of two hitchhikers, a man and a woman, at the hands of two men in the dead of the night, won the Hivos Tiger Award in the International Film Festival Rotterdam 2017. Reacting to the news, the elated director said, "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." For the director, who is in Australia for Asia Pacific Screen Awards where he is nominated in the best director category for S Durga, the decision could not have come at a better time. "This is a victory for all of us. It is a proof that democracy can't be killed and law is for the people," Sanal said to PTI.

IFFI 2017: Kerala High Court orders screening of 'S Durga' at festival

Union minister Smriti Irani said on Monday that the BJP government at the Centre is tolerant and it understands that a joke should be taken as a joke. 
 
The information and broadcasting minister was speaking at the inauguration of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) here. Her remarks came in response to a banter actor Rajkumar Rao threw at her at the event.

Rao, who was co-hosting the event with actor Radhika Apte, said it was a coincidence that film director Majid Majidi was an &quot;Irani&quot;, just like the Union minister was. Hearing the remarks, the Union minister smiled. 
 
Later, in her address at the event, Smriti Irani said: &quot;Rajkumar Rao, this (incident) should be known to the rest of the country, that you poked fun only at a minister. And it showed as a government how tolerant we are.&quot; 
Majidi&#39;s film Beyond the Clouds&nbsp;inaugurated the film festival. Starring Ishaan Khatter and Malavika Mohanan in lead roles, the film is based on life in Mumbai.&nbsp; 
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The information and broadcasting minister was speaking at the inauguration of the International Film Festival of India

Union minister Smriti Irani said on Monday that the BJP government at the Centre is tolerant and it understands that a joke should be taken as a joke. The information and broadcasting minister was speaking at the inauguration of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) here. Her remarks came in response to a banter actor Rajkumar Rao threw at her at the event. Rao, who was co-hosting the event with actor Radhika Apte, said it was a coincidence that film director Majid Majidi was an "Irani", just like the Union minister was. Hearing the remarks, the Union minister smiled. Later, in her address at the event, Smriti Irani said: "Rajkumar Rao, this (incident) should be known to the rest of the country, that you poked fun only at a minister. And it showed as a government how tolerant we are." Majidi's film Beyond the Clouds inaugurated the film festival. Starring Ishaan Khatter and Malavika Mohanan in lead roles, the film is based on life in Mumbai.

IFFI 2017: Rajkummar Rao pokes fun at Smriti Irani, Minister says government knows how to take a joke

Marathi filmmaker Ravi Jadhav said he felt as if he was slapped when his film Nude&nbsp;was pulled out from the Indian Panorama section of the upcoming International Film Festival of India (IFFI). 
 
The director said the information and broadcasting ministry&#39;s decision to pull out Malayalam movie S Durga&nbsp;and his Marathi film Nude, overruling the recommendation of the 13-member jury of the Panorama section, was highly disappointing. 
 
&quot;What is happening in the last few days is highly disappointing. In this film, in a particular sequence an artist gets slapped, unfortunately, I feel like the reel artist who was at the receiving end,&quot; the director wrote on his Facebook page.

&quot;... Yet I feel hopeful and optimistic like all other artists,&quot; said Jadhav, who has made films like Banjo&nbsp;(2016) and Timepass&nbsp;(2014). 
 
Jadhav posted the teaser of Nude&nbsp;online after his film failed to make the cut. The movie depicts the struggle of a woman secretly working as a nude model in Mumbai.&nbsp;&quot;This is a teaser of the film Nude, the film that got striked (struck) out by the Information and Broadcasting ministry thus giving rise to debate and controversy,&quot; he wrote.

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Jadhav also expressed his gratitude to the IFFI jury, media and his friends from the industry who came out in support of him after the film was dropped from the festival.&nbsp;&quot;I have sincerely made this film,&quot; he said sharing the link of the teaser. 
 
After the ministry&#39;s decision to drop the two films, three jury members - filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh, head of the jury of IFFI&#39;s Indian Panorama section, scriptwriter Apurva Asrani and filmmaker Gyan Correa - resigned.&nbsp;Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who is the chief of a nodal agency for the IFFI, yesterday said Nude&nbsp;did not have the censor board certificate. 
 
&quot;What information I have got is that the film Nude&nbsp;is not a complete movie. It is without a censorship certificate, so we cannot show it in the IFFI. We can&#39;t show the film without the censorship certificate,&quot; Parrikar told reporters in Panaji. 
 
He also said the decision to drop S Durga&nbsp;from the festival, which will run from November 20-28, was taken to avoid hurting the sentiments of any community. 
 
&quot;The film was part of two festivals, including MAMI in Mumbai and Kerala Film Festival, but it was shown after adequate cuts to avoid any feelings to be hurt. It was submitted to IFFI without any cuts,&quot; Parrikar said.&nbsp;He said, according to the rules of the festival, a film cannot be shown with cuts at IFFI.&nbsp;S Durga, which was earlier titled Sexy Durga, is a road movie that follows the horrifying experience of two hitchhikers, a man and a woman, at the hands of two men. It won the Hivos Tiger Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam 2017. 
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Marathi filmmaker Ravi Jadhav said he felt as if he was slapped when his film Nude?was pulled out from the Indian Panorama section of the upcoming International Film Festival of India (IFFI).

Marathi filmmaker Ravi Jadhav said he felt as if he was slapped when his film Nude was pulled out from the Indian Panorama section of the upcoming International Film Festival of India (IFFI). The director said the information and broadcasting ministry's decision to pull out Malayalam movie S Durga and his Marathi film Nude, overruling the recommendation of the 13-member jury of the Panorama section, was highly disappointing. "What is happening in the last few days is highly disappointing. In this film, in a particular sequence an artist gets slapped, unfortunately, I feel like the reel artist who was at the receiving end," the director wrote on his Facebook page. "... Yet I feel hopeful and optimistic like all other artists," said Jadhav, who has made films like Banjo (2016) and Timepass (2014). Jadhav posted the teaser of Nude online after his film failed to make the cut. The movie depicts the struggle of a woman secretly working as a nude model in Mumbai. "This is a teaser of the film Nude, the film that got striked (struck) out by the Information and Broadcasting ministry thus giving rise to debate and controversy," he wrote. × Jadhav also expressed his gratitude to the IFFI jury, media and his friends from the industry who came out in support of him after the film was dropped from the festival. "I have sincerely made this film," he said sharing the link of the teaser. After the ministry's decision to drop the two films, three jury members - filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh, head of the jury of IFFI's Indian Panorama section, scriptwriter Apurva Asrani and filmmaker Gyan Correa - resigned. Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who is the chief of a nodal agency for the IFFI, yesterday said Nude did not have the censor board certificate. "What information I have got is that the film Nude is not a complete movie. It is without a censorship certificate, so we cannot show it in the IFFI. We can't show the film without the censorship certificate," Parrikar told reporters in Panaji. He also said the decision to drop S Durga from the festival, which will run from November 20-28, was taken to avoid hurting the sentiments of any community. "The film was part of two festivals, including MAMI in Mumbai and Kerala Film Festival, but it was shown after adequate cuts to avoid any feelings to be hurt. It was submitted to IFFI without any cuts," Parrikar said. He said, according to the rules of the festival, a film cannot be shown with cuts at IFFI. S Durga, which was earlier titled Sexy Durga, is a road movie that follows the horrifying experience of two hitchhikers, a man and a woman, at the hands of two men. It won the Hivos Tiger Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam 2017.

'Nude' director Ravi Jadhav hopeful despite disappointment over IFFI controversy

In another fallout of the information and broadcasting ministry dropping two films from IFFI&#39;s Indian Panorama section, scriptwriter Apurva Asrani announced today that he was resigning as jury member.&nbsp;Asrani&#39;s resignation comes a day after filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh said he had quit as chairperson of the Indian Panorama jury. 
 
Asrani said his conscience doesn&#39;t allow him to participate in the film festival, being held in Goa from November 20-28. 
 
&quot;I stand with the chairman of the jury. We had a responsibility towards some very sincere films, and somewhere we have failed them. My conscience won&#39;t allow me to participate in the festivities in Goa,&quot; he said in a statement.

Filmmaker Gyan Correa also submitted his resignation. 
 
When contacted, the Aligarh&nbsp;scriptwriter confirmed that he had resigned but said he would not like to elaborate further. 
 
The information and broadcasting ministry has overruled the recommendation of the 13-member jury and pulled out Malayalam movie S Durga&nbsp;and Marathi film Nude&nbsp;from the 48th edition of the International Film Festival of India.

The jury submitted its list to the ministry on September 20-21, but the line-up was made public only recently and without the name of the two films, a jury member disclosed. 
 
Yesterday, S Durga&nbsp;director Sanal Kumar Sasidharan filed a petition in the Kerala High Court against the ministry and IFFI officials.&nbsp; 
 
The respondents in his petition include the Union of India, represented by the secretary to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the Directorate of Film Festivals, Chairman, Jury for Feature Films and the Indian Panorama, 48th International Film Festival of India, Goa.&nbsp;

Scriptwriter Apurva Asrani and filmmaker Gyan Correa announced their resignations Wednesday

In another fallout of the information and broadcasting ministry dropping two films from IFFI's Indian Panorama section, scriptwriter Apurva Asrani announced today that he was resigning as jury member. Asrani's resignation comes a day after filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh said he had quit as chairperson of the Indian Panorama jury. Asrani said his conscience doesn't allow him to participate in the film festival, being held in Goa from November 20-28. "I stand with the chairman of the jury. We had a responsibility towards some very sincere films, and somewhere we have failed them. My conscience won't allow me to participate in the festivities in Goa," he said in a statement. Filmmaker Gyan Correa also submitted his resignation. When contacted, the Aligarh scriptwriter confirmed that he had resigned but said he would not like to elaborate further. The information and broadcasting ministry has overruled the recommendation of the 13-member jury and pulled out Malayalam movie S Durga and Marathi film Nude from the 48th edition of the International Film Festival of India. The jury submitted its list to the ministry on September 20-21, but the line-up was made public only recently and without the name of the two films, a jury member disclosed. Yesterday, S Durga director Sanal Kumar Sasidharan filed a petition in the Kerala High Court against the ministry and IFFI officials. The respondents in his petition include the Union of India, represented by the secretary to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the Directorate of Film Festivals, Chairman, Jury for Feature Films and the Indian Panorama, 48th International Film Festival of India, Goa.

IFFI 2017: After Sujoy Ghosh, two more jury members resign

The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has finally explained why they decided to drop Malayalam film S Durga and Marathi film Nude from the Panorama section at the upcoming International Film Festival of India. &nbsp; 
 
Sources close to the ministry has stated that it had problems with film S Durga as it could hurt the religious sentiments of people. Earlier titled as Sexy Durga, the title was changed by CBFC and given a permission to be screened as MAMI earlier this year. The film had also received 21 cuts for the screening.&nbsp; 
 
A statement issued by the Ministry states that it has been &quot;receiving several grievances against its title and is of the view that it may affect the law and order as it the religious sentiments.&quot;

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A copy of the letter sent by the Ministry. (Zee News Network)
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The statement further says, the regional officer at Thiruvananthapuram who examined the uncensored version found it violating the guidelines of 6 of the CBFC guidelines including a provocative and disrespectful depiction of certain faith/religion.

In case of Nude, the ministry stated that the film was technically complete and hence it was replaced.&nbsp;

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A copy of the letter sent by the Ministry. (Zee News Network)
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On Monday, jury-head, filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh stepped down from his post after the Ministry dropped the two films without consulting any member of the 13-member panel.&nbsp;

Expressing disappointment over the Ministry&#39;s decision, S Durga&#39;s director Sanal Kumar Sasidharan took to Facebook and wrote, &quot; I have filed a writ petition before the Hon&rsquo;ble High Court of Kerala against this unprecedented, illogical and unconstitutional action taken by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.&quot;&nbsp;

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Apart from Ghosh and Asrani, the jury for feature films in the Panorama also includes director Rahul Rawail, actor-director Gopi Desai, filmmaker Nishikant Kamat, director-writer Nikkhil Advani and director-writer Ruchi Narain. 
The festival will take place in Goa from November 20-28.&nbsp;

Sources close to the ministry have stated that it had problems with film S Durga as it could hurt the religious sentiments of people.

The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has finally explained why they decided to drop Malayalam film S Durga and Marathi film Nude from the Panorama section at the upcoming International Film Festival of India. Sources close to the ministry has stated that it had problems with film S Durga as it could hurt the religious sentiments of people. Earlier titled as Sexy Durga, the title was changed by CBFC and given a permission to be screened as MAMI earlier this year. The film had also received 21 cuts for the screening. A statement issued by the Ministry states that it has been "receiving several grievances against its title and is of the view that it may affect the law and order as it the religious sentiments." A copy of the letter sent by the Ministry. (Zee News Network) × The statement further says, the regional officer at Thiruvananthapuram who examined the uncensored version found it violating the guidelines of 6 of the CBFC guidelines including a provocative and disrespectful depiction of certain faith/religion. In case of Nude, the ministry stated that the film was technically complete and hence it was replaced. A copy of the letter sent by the Ministry. (Zee News Network) × On Monday, jury-head, filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh stepped down from his post after the Ministry dropped the two films without consulting any member of the 13-member panel. Expressing disappointment over the Ministry's decision, S Durga's director Sanal Kumar Sasidharan took to Facebook and wrote, " I have filed a writ petition before the Hon’ble High Court of Kerala against this unprecedented, illogical and unconstitutional action taken by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting." × Apart from Ghosh and Asrani, the jury for feature films in the Panorama also includes director Rahul Rawail, actor-director Gopi Desai, filmmaker Nishikant Kamat, director-writer Nikkhil Advani and director-writer Ruchi Narain. The festival will take place in Goa from November 20-28.

I&B Ministry explains why it decided to drop S Durga and Nude from IFFI this year

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In moments: Goa hosts the International Film Festival Of India and Film Bazaar

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