Delayed ‘Phule’ to clear controversy, already complied with CBFC amendments: Ananth Mahadevan

Mumbai: Phule, based on the lives of social reformers Jyotirao Govindrao Phule and Savitribai Phule, has been delayed due to objections raised by the Brahmin community and not because of the censor board-suggested amendments, film's director Ananth Mahadevan said on Friday.

The biopic, featuring the Scam 1992 star Pratik Gandhi in the central role and Patralekhaa (IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack) as his onscreen wife Savitribai Jyotiba Phule, was set for release on April 11 but it will now arrive in theatres on April 25.

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had issued a ‘U’ certificate to the makers on April 7 and had asked them to remove terms such as Mang, Mahar and Peshwai, replace the visual of 'a man carrying a broom' with 'boys throwing cow dung balls at Savitribai', and the line ‘3,000 saal purani gulami’ to be modified as ‘kai saal purani’, among a few other tweaks.

"They had suggested some amendments, I wouldn’t call it cuts. I want to clarify that there are no cuts as such. We did so (complied with the suggested amendments). "They felt that the film should be watched by youth and everyone and it’s very educational. I don’t know why this whole storm of conflict and counter arguments are happening, it's a little exaggerated and unnecessary,” Mahadevan told PTI.

After the trailer was unveiled online on April 10, some members from the Brahmin community raised objections stating that they’ve been portrayed in poor light.

Maharashtra-based organisation Hindu Mahasangh's president Anand Dave expressed his displeasure after watching the trailer of Phule. He said it is unfair to only “highlight the not-so-good things” about the Brahmin community.

"The trailer shows a Brahmin boy throwing cow dung at Savitribai Phule. We understand that we need to show the good and the bad. But we can’t see the good things done by the community, like how Brahmin people supported Mahatma Phule. It is unfair to show only the bad things done by Brahmins.

"If they want to earn money by showing casteism, then it’s not right. People across India and globally will not think of the Brahmins in a good way. When we expressed our disappointment to Ananth Mahadevan he said, ‘He has not done any injustice to the community, and has sought 15 days of time from us’,” Dave told PTI.

Mahadevan asserted “Brahmins got carried away by a two-minute trailer” but there is nothing objectionable in the movie.

“I’m a Brahmin myself, and I would not malign my community. I want everyone to calm down and understand that we’ve made a film that is supposed to inspire and change. When they see the film they will understand but all this can’t be shown in a two-minute trailer, we can only show dramatic snippets,” he said, adding there was no plan to show the movie to the Brahmin community before its release.

Mahadevan said the reason behind the release of Phule being pushed is to clear the controversy surrounding the film.

"They had put their views on social media and then other people also said, ‘Why are Brahmins protesting? The protest started between two groups, we wanted to calm them down, and tell them that, ‘It has nothing what you people are imagining’.

"We did not want to lose out on the audience... I would rather they come together and see the film peacefully. So, the producer and the distributor got together and thought, ‘Let’s postpone it for two more weeks and clear all the controversies, talk to the media and let it reach them’.” A social media user expressed disappointment about how films based on caste issues like Phule and Santosh face hurdles.

“Movies on figures like #Savarkar or #SambhajiMaharaj get released without much resistance. Films glorifying so-called great Savarna icons face no hurdles, but when it comes to movies like #Phule or #Santosh—which aim to show the harsh realities of caste discrimination—they are constantly met with opposition, delays, or outright censorship.

"The irony is painful: the same casteist hypocrites who suppress these stories are the ones who claim that casteism no longer exists in India, their actions speak louder than their privileged denial,” the post read.

Another user, who is a screenwriter, wrote: “For anyone who wonders why it is almost impossible to make a good and truthful Hindi film, what is happening with the Phule film is an excellent example." Phule is backed by Dancing Shiva Films and Kingsmen Productions. It will be released in theatres by Zee Studios.