If a person can vote, he can censor a film too: Shekhar Kapur

January 17, 2015

Shekhar Kapur

New Delhi, Jan 17: Amid the censor board controversy, filmmaker Shekhar Kapoor today said even 16-year-olds can watch certain category of films for which they are barred.

The director, who was in the city for a panel discussion with FICCI Ladies Organisation, said if a person can vote, he can censor a film too.

When asked him about censor board chief Leela Samson's resignation and the debate surrounding the clearance given to controversial film 'Messenger of God', Kapur said he did not know what the movie was about.

"I heard that Leela Samson has resigned. I don't know anything about the film. I just found the trailer very amusing but I don't know what the controversy is all about," he told reporters.

The 'Mr India' director, who faced trouble with Central Board of Film Certification during his 1996 film 'Bandit Queen', said a mature mind does not need a governing authority.

"If we can handle mature things in a sensible way, then we can handle a film too. If a person can vote and is mature enough to select a government, then he or she is certainly mature enough to judge or see a film.

"We say people under 16 cannot watch certain films because they are not mature. Let's not have censorship for anybody above 16 because they are more mature than censor," Shekhar, 69, said.

Samson and another CBFC member Ira Bhaskar resigned as the controversy over the clearance of the Dera Sacha Dera Saccha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's film snowballed.

Echoing Kapur's sentiments, some other film personalities demanded an overhaul in CBFC guidelines.

"Overhaul of CBFC is long overdue. CBFC's role must be clearly defined and their processes, guidelines etc need a complete overhaul," filmmaker Hansal Mehta tweeted.

"Leela Samson stood bravely against the maniacs who wanted to ban PK. Today, she resigns because she was overruled by corruption," music composer Vishal Dadlani said.

Vivek Agnihotri tweeted, "Please go to CBFC (Censor Board) site and see the board of directors. It sounds like Politburo."

"Firstly, the board works with an act written in 1952. Then the governments dictate. Why have a chairperson at all," Anubhav Sinha tweeted.

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News Network
May 30,2020

Mumbai, May 30: Actor Vaani Kapoor on Saturday said she will go on a virtual date with five people as part of an initiative to raise money for daily wage earners, who have been affected due to the nationwide lockdown implemented to rein in coronavirus.

Vaani has teamed up with actor Arjun Kapoor's sister Anshula Kapoor’s online fundraising platform, Fankind, to raise funds for daily wage workers.

Vaani and Fankind have come together to provide five of her fans a chance to go on a virtual date with her - by donating to provide food to daily wage workers.

“As human beings, we will need to come forward and support as many people as possible in need due to the coronavirus pandemic in our country. I’m doing my bit to support the daily wage earners of our country and their families who are in dire situations given the lockdown.

“My activity, in which five lucky winners can have a virtual date with me, will see us collect funds to help feed them and their families across the country," Vaani said in a statement.

Earlier, Arjun too supported the initiative to help daily wage earners.

According to the press release, the funds will go to GiveIndia, a non-profit organisation, which will provide hot cooked meals to wage earners and their families. Each meal costs Rs 30 and will be delivered in various areas of Maharashtra, Bangalore, and Chennai.

A.T.E. Chandra Foundation has also come on board and will be adding 25 percent of the total donation value collected as a matching amount, thereby multiplying the impact, the release said.

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News Network
April 14,2020

New Delhi, Apr 14: Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar on Tuesday paid tributes to Dr BR Ambedkar on his birth anniversary.

The 90-year-old singer took to Twitter to extend her greetings on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti and also expressed gratitude for being able to get the chance to meet him.

"Namaskar. Bhartiya Savidhan ke janak mahamanav Bharat Ratna Dr BR Ambedkar Ji ki Jayanti par main unko koti koti vandan karti hu. (Namaskar. On the birth anniversary of Dr. BR Ambedkar, the father of the great Indian Constitution, I offer him a ceremonial offering)" she tweeted.

"Main unko pratyaksh roop se mil saki ye mera sobhagya hai. (It is my good fortune that I got the chance to meet him)," her tweet further read.
Ambedkar, commonly known as Babasaheb, dedicated his life to working for the upliftment of Dalits, women and the underprivileged.

Born into a poor Dalit family on April 14, 1891, Ambedkar became independent India's first law minister, the principal architect of the Indian Constitution and a founding father of the Republic of India.

He also campaigned against the social discrimination faced by Dalits and inspired the Dalit Buddhist Movement in 1956. Ambedkar was awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1990.

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News Network
June 11,2020

Washington, Jun 11: Music maestro AR Rahman has joined the international film 'No Land's Man' as co-producer and composer.

Helmed by renowned Bangladeshi filmmaker Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, the upcoming movie has Indian thespian Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Australian theatre actor Megan Mitchell, and Bangladeshi musician and actor Tahsan Rahman Khan in pivotal roles.

"Time always gives birth to new worlds, new ideals. The newborn world has new challenges and new stories to tell. This is one such story," Variety quoted Rahman as saying.

The movie chronicles the life of a South Asian, whose journey gets complicated when he meets an Australian woman in the U.S.

The film, shot in the U.S., Australia and India, is predominantly in English with some dialogue in Hindi and Urdu.

'Sacred Games' actor, Siddique said: "The filming experience for this project was challenging but a fulfilling one. AR Rahman's brilliance will definitely make the film richer."

"Farooki and I first spoke about 'No Land's Man' at Film Bazaar in 2014. Between then and now, the film has become even more relevant as it looks at what it means to be a vulnerable person in a racially-divided world," producer Srihari Sathe said.

'No Land's Man' won the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) and Asia Pacific Screen Awards' Script Development fund in 2014. It was part of the Asian Project Market at Busan and was chosen as the best project at India's Film Bazaar the same year.

Earlier in January, Siddiqui posted multiple pictures on Instagram with the team of the flick, marking the schedule wrap in New York and Sydney for 'No Land's Man.'

He also captioned the post as: "Wonderful experience with the most energetic team."

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