Frontline
February 2000
Special Report


The culture police — in slow motion

 

January 30, 2000

The first of news report about the controversy over the film Water appears in the national press. The self–appointed guardians of morality and culture have decided that Ms. Deepa Mehta must be opposed. Ms. Mehta’s problems began when she landed in Varanasi earlier this month all set to begin the shooting of Water after getting the necessary clearances from the authorities concerned.

Suddenly, the district authorities denied her permission and also added that they could not ensure the safety of her crew — apparently at the behest of two Uttar Pradesh Ministers.

January 31, 2000

The film Water is referred to the I&B ministry for a review of the script again. The UP government, the newspapers report, "fears law and order problems because of the feelings of the people being hurt."

February 1, 2000

The sets of Water are set on fire by the Kashi Sanskriti Raksha Sangarsh Samiti. The vandals have done this in order to prevent the shooting of the film. The district magistrate says that shooting can be continued only after the UP government gives permission. Deepa Mehta seeks the intervention of the Central government.

February 2, 2000

"Deepa is obsessed with prostitution. The kind of guidelines which exist for Pakistani films should be followed here," says B P Singhal a representative of the Sangh Parivar. The UP government rules out permission to shoot the film in order to maintain peace and amity in the holy city. The RSS gets hold of the script and uses selective portions to put public pressure and raise emotions against the shooting of the film.

The CPM protests against the fascist vandalism saying that the RSS has arrogated itself as arbiter in all matters including culture and the arts. The I&B ministry clears Water for the second time after Deepa Mehta changes some words in the film script.

February 3, 2000

The BJP blasts Deepa Mehta for shooting the film. According to one of its general secretaries, Govindacharya, only a perverted mind can invent such filth. The BJP leader said everybody was aware of the hardships faced by women, specially in India, but it should be a challenge for the society to overcome, instead of an issue to be exploited for commercial purposes.

February 4, 2000

Deepa Mehta meets religious leaders in an apparent attempt to pacify the sangh parivar outfits opposing Water.

February 5, 2000

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad says Deepa Mehta would not be allowed to shoot her film in any part of the country as its script outraged the ancient Indian culture. Even if the government allowed the film, "the people of Varnasi would oppose it".

Not only the sangh parivar, but also some Muslims pour oil over Water. The All India Muslim Mahaz, Mumbai, decides to agitate against the film Water, angered by the fact that a Muslim woman (Shabana Azmi) has performed an un–Islamic act by tonsuring her head for her role in the film.

February 5, 2000

Water runs into trouble again with the Varanasi administration asking Deepa Mehta to stop shooting and leave the Holy City after a Shiv Sainik, Arun Pathak, attempting to commit suicide, consumed sulphur

tablets, tied a stone around his neck and jumped into the Ganga river.

February 6, 2000

Deepa shoots a few test frames in a Varanasi hotel. The media reports the principal home secretary, VK Mittal’s statement that Deepa Mehta had met the Mahant of Sankat Mochan temple, Prof. Veer Bhadra Mishra and other members and they had not found anything objectionable in it.

February 7, 2000

Deepa Mehta says that the RSS are not behind the protests against her film Water and that the agitators are misguided and misinformed people. She said that she was assured by K. S. Sudarshan that his organisation was not behind the protests.

February 8, 2000

The UP government finally banned the filming of Water in Varanasi on grounds of deteriorating law and order. Deepa Mehta was also requested to leave Varanasi as soon as possible in view of the threats by the Shiv Sena and other sangh parivar outfits that the film crew of Water would be physically thrown out if they did not leave.

The All India Muslim Mahaz has decided to burn the effigy of Shabana Azmi to protest against the film Water.

February 9, 2000

The Water film team returns to New Delhi. At a press conference attended by around 200 journalists, Ms. Mehta and the main cast announce they have accepted Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh’s invitation to shoot the film in his state and would leave for Bhopal the next day. The sangh parivar outfits threatens action in MP, too.



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