After months of debate and speculation, Final Solution -- a film about the communal riots that took place in Gujarat in 2002 - which has been screened at various venues internationally is cleared for public viewing in India

Final Solution , Rakesh Sharma’s highly-acclaimed but controversial documentary film on the post-Godhra Gujarat riots of 2002, has finally been cleared by India ’s much-maligned censor board, six months after it was denied even a preview.

Censors gave the film a UA (universal viewing) certificate -- surprisingly without any cuts -- on October 7. “It is a brilliant film. I liked it and was impressed by the fact that the filmmaker has not taken sides,” said Anupam Kher, chairperson, Censor Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

The film was seen by Kher, six other CBFC members and special invitees including renowned feature filmmaker Shyam Benegal, media person Dolly Thakore and Ashok Pandit. “The revising committee was unanimous in its view (to pass the film),” said Kher, minutes afterwards.

The board’s flip-flop, though Kher denies it, can be traced to pressure from the media, the public and the Left parties early this year after it refused certification saying the director had screened the film abroad without the clearance stamp. The Communist Party of India even went so far as to screen the film at its party headquarters in Kolkata, in September, in contravention of the ban on the film.

The government in power at the time, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance, had insisted that films get CBFC certification before they are exhibited at festivals. The United Progressive Alliance government (which came to power in India in May this year), and information and broadcasting minister Jaipal Reddy, went along with this view.

Interpreting the board’s stand as censorship, documentary filmmakers protested the decision putting together the parallel Vikalp (‘alternative’ in Hindi) festival at the time of the Mumbai International Film Festival . They pointed out that foreign films were exempt from the ruling.

Filmmaker Sharma maintains that his film did not receive even a preliminary hearing from the board, forcing him to show it abroad. What’s more he was served two notices by the board that asked whether he had paid customs duty before taking the film overseas!

When the board later agreed to slot the film for a preview, on July 26, 2004 , the filmmaker could not be present.

Meanwhile, Kher dismisses allegations about a delay in certification. He says: “It is a natural process a film goes through when it passes through the board. When the examining committee refers a film to the revising committee, the media thinks something has gone horribly wrong for the filmmaker and jumps to his rescue.”

Kher blamed filmmakers for courting the media before the board took a decision. “How can you start driving even before you acquire a licence.”

Another film awaiting clearance by the censors is US director Michael Moore’s much-talked-about Fahrenheit 9/11. In this case, Kher claims the exhibitor is at fault for jumping the gun and announcing the date of the film’s release. “Is that possible in any country,” he asks.

Source: The Indian Express, October 8, 2004