‘Today, We Are Too Sensitive’

”We
have
had
several
films
on
the
caste
system
but
they
are
all
in
different
decades,
when
sensibilities
were
mature
enough
to
comprehend.’
‘Today,
we
are
in
a
different
zone
of
thought.’

Director

Ananth
Mahadevan‘s

Phule,
based
on
the
life
and
work
of
Mahatma
Jyotiba
Phule,
was
supposed
to
release
on
his
birth
anniversary
on
April
11.
It
has
been
pushed
to
April
25
after
some
Brahmin
organisations
in
Maharashtra
objected
to
the
community’s
portrayal
in
the
film.

It’s
almost
as
if
Phule
has
to
fight
the
system
all
over
again.

“I
do
not
make
films
anticipating
any
backlash.
I
was
making
a
film
on
the
most
fearless
couple
of
India,”
Ananth
Mahadevan
tells

Subhash
K
Jha.

Ironically,
your
film
is
being
excoriated
for
referring
to
the
caste
system
during
a
time
when
we
are
celebrating
Dr
Ambedkar’s
birth
anniversary.

Yes.
Babasaheb
Ambedkar
drew
inspiration
from
Jyotiba’s
doctrine
and
even
considered
the
couple
his
gurus.

In
fact,
it
was
Savitri
who
coined
the
word
‘Dalit’
to
replace
‘shudra’.

Yes,
it’s
a
strange
irony
that
these
are
coming
at
the
same
time.

Did
you
expect
this
backlash?

I
do
not
make
films
anticipating
any
backlash.

I
was
making
a
film
on
the
most
fearless
couple
of
India.

How
could
I
harbour
doubts
about
any
reactions?
That
would
be
doing
them
injustice.

Why
is
the
film
stuck
with
the
Censor
Board?

It
is
not.
We
got
a
U
certificate
after
we
submitted
the
amendments
suggested
by
them.
Direct
references
to
caste
names
probably
weren’t
suitable
so
they
were
softened.

We
have
had
some
notable
films
on
the
caste
system,
from
Bimal
Roy’s

Sujata
to
Neeraj
Ghaywan’s

Masaan.
Where
does

Phule
fit
in?

Yes,
we
have
had
several
films
but
they
are
all
in
different
decades,
when
sensibilities
were
mature
enough
to
comprehend.

Today,
we
are
in
a
different
zone
of
thought.
Too
sensitive
perhaps.

So
reactive
forces
are
louder.

Uncannily,
that
is
the
line
in
our
trailer:
‘We
are
an
emotionally
charged
people
and
need
to
guard
against
losing
our
understanding.’

Should
censorship
be
abolished?

Certification
of
cinema
is
not
restricted
to
our
country.

A
censor
board
in
the
UK
and
one
in
China
looks
at
a
film
differently.

Eventually,
they
are
all
people,
and
opinions
are
personal.

It
is
up
to
the
creative
persons
to
choose
self-censorship
so
that
we
don’t
cross
boundaries
of
creative
freedom.

Where
would
you
place

Phule
in
your
repertoire?

Phule
is
probably
my
most
challenging
film
project
so
far.

It
required
reams
of
research,
careful
analysis
and
execution.

It
is
about
history
that
has
lived
for
more
than
a
hundred
years
and
is
as
relevant
now
as
it
was
then.