So far, whether it is to do with a warning about smoking or an assurance that no character in a film replicates any person from real life, the Censor Board Of Film Certification has always asked and got a disclaimer at the beginning of a film.
Prakash Jha would now like to change that rule. Before his new film ‘Chakravyuha’ goes to the censors, the filmmaker has requested them for consent to display a claimer at the beginning of the film, owning up to responsibility of having borrowed characters and situations from real life.
In other words, instead of the usual announcement we see at the beginning that says, ‘Resemblances to any character or incident, living or dead are purely coincidental’ Jha wishes to declare, ‘Resemblances to real-life characters and incidents are intentional’.
A far cry from Jha’s vehement efforts to distance himself from all reports of real-life resemblances when his Raajneeti released and was alleged to have been inspired by Sonia Gandhi’s life.
Says Prakash Jha, “Yes, I don’t wish to deny the historical perspective in Chakravyuha and have asked for an announcement, a ‘claimer’ as opposed to a ‘disclaimer’, because it is important to let the audience know that the political references in this film are not artificial.”
The CBFC is apparently apprehensive of declaring real-life claims in films, as these almost invariably spark off controversies.
But Jha is adamant, “Chakravyuha works within the given framework of real life. I want audiences to know that.”
