Why is censor okay with sex comedies and not 'love' in Aligarh?
Do you know that Aligarh's trailer has been given an "A" certificate? This means that the theatrical trailer can only be played with an "Adult" film, ruling out most of our theatrical promotions.
This also means that the trailer will not be played on TV all day and will only appear on late night television.
The ramifications of this move by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) are huge. There is no way to reach the larger audiences who rely on a trailer to come to the cinema.
And why? Anyone who has seen our trailer will know that, unlike the prevalent sex comedies in cinemas, there is NOTHING sexual or objectionable in our trailer.
This reeks of a deliberate homophobic move by our government-appointed body that wants to ensure that awareness for an important theme like this is squashed.
I have nothing against sex comedies. The whole idea of a democracy is that we can all co exist. But the double standards of the censor board gets my goat.
Why is it that we are forced to see horny men and women thrust their breasts and erections in our faces on daytime television? While our dignified, senior professor Siras from Aligarh, is forced to stay in the closet?
The makers of these sex comedies are pushing lengths of obscenity and sexual innuendo with the blessings of Mr Pahlaj Nihlani.
The CBFC chief probably reminisces about his sarkaylo khatiya days when he signs their censor certificates. But Aligarh is squashed with this ridiculous certification because we treat our gay protagonist with respect? If we had used him as a comical character, thrusting his pelvis into every other man, maybe the CBFC would have given our trailer a UA rating.
There is only one word to describe this: Homophobia. We have a regressive and homophobic censor board today.
I urge people to find our trailer on YouTube and share it far and wide. Use the hashtag #ComeOut and demand your fundamental right to choose. If you think we deserve an "A" certificate, then do enlighten me with your reasons.