In an unexpected turn of events, Anik Dutta’s satirical film Bhobishyoter Bhoot was withdrawn from all theatres in Kolkata yesterday.
Shows were on at several multiplexes in the city till late last afternoon, with many of the screenings being houseful.
In the evening, actor Kaushik Sen, who features in the film, went with his family to Inox South City to watch the film and bought tickets. But soon they were informed that the shows had been cancelled. No proper reason was cited.
The film had been cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) with just one cut after which the Kolkata police reportedly wanted to watch it but director Dutta and the producers did not agree.
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“It is clear that the film has been forcibly removed from the theatres,” said Kaushik Sen, who plays an important character in the film along with his wife Reshmi. “The people at Inox were not even able to state a valid reason for the sudden injunction. They were only saying there has been an instruction from ‘higher authorities’. They could not show any written communication in this regard.”
Sen said that once a film has gone through the process of censorship, it can only be banned by the will of the audience, none else.
Cinestaan.com later learnt that Bhobishyoter Bhoot has been withdrawn from all 44 theatres in and around Kolkata.
The satirical film not only criticizes the present political regimes in the state and at the Centre but also attacks corruption at various levels of society.
“If these kind of films do not get the limelight in multiplexes, then they would not be able to survive,” said Sen, who feels the step taken by the ‘higher authorities’ will hurt the entire film industry.
“The producers are definitely not going to produce only Anik Dutta films in future,” he argued. “If they get their money, they will produce other films as well. The Bengali film industry is a big one and this step will affect its business.”
Asked whether there were political forces behind the film’s removal, he said, “Of course! But I would say this is an extremely vulnerable and weak political ploy; there is no strategy or deep thought behind this politics.”