India a country of restless dreams and storytellers: Prasoon Joshi
CBFC chairman Prasoon Joshi on Monday called India a "country of restless dreams and storytellers" at the curtain raiser for the 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI).
Nawazuddin Siddiqui-starrer Babumoshai Bandookbaaz, which has been in the news for the 48 cuts suggested by the censor board, projects some uncomfortable truths about society, says its writer Ghalib Asad Bhopali.
Bhopali said that while writing the film he never imagined the rustic movie will land in any controversy.
The trailer of the movie gives a hint of the intimacy and abusive language used in the movie.
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Asked if he had kept the consequences at the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) in mind while writing the film, Bhopali said: “No. The film is the reflection of our society where the character Babu played by Nazaw bhai is a contract killer because he lived through poverty all his childhood. Our film deals with some uncomfortable truths of the society, it’s nothing titillating.”
The writer said he researched and met many people in real life to give shape to the story of Babumoshai Bandookbaaz.
Giving an insight, he said: “There are people whom we call criminal because of their activity… But what they did is probably not by choice. In our film, the character said that he killed a man throwing stones because of two bananas, as the child was hungry for days… And he learnt to use pistols from other inmates in jail.
“So, you understand what I mean? Unfortunately, when children took up guns and start getting into crime no one warned them about what they are doing, and later they got stuck.”
According to him, none of the criminals he has come across so far feels proud of their work — rather they regret, but cannot get out of the vicious cycle that they are in.
“We have seen one slice of the crime world in Indian cinema which is quite glamorous. This story (‘Babumoshai…’) shows another side of that world. If you think it is dirty and uncomfortable, that is what our society is.
“You know, it reminds me of Sadaat Hasan Manto who once said, ‘If you cannot bear these stories then the society is unbearable’.”
Featuring Bidita Bag and Divya Dutta among others, Babumoshai Bandookbaaz slated to release on August 25.
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