It is now a common trend or rather has become a ritual for various interest groups to raise their voice against a particular scene or a depiction of a character in a movie/web series. There are 2 scenarios: Cases are filed in remote jurisdictions of the country to create maximum harassment and inconvenience or violent rallies and demonstrations are held which go to the extent of destroying sets, mutilating posters and theatre furniture in an attempt to prevent the screening of a film unless a settlement takes place. Persons involved in these cases and rallies tend to ignore or overlook the 'Disclaimer' displayed right at the beginning of such movies/series and tend to search for similarities or references to persons living or dead which is exactly what is written in the Disclaimer! Ironic right?

A true artistic expression reflects the reality on a society. Often this reality is modified by film directors by virtue of their creative license in order to ensure that the final depiction of the film is entertaining for the audience. A feature film is a film produced for pure entertainment and should be treated like one, even if the film is loosely based on a historical event or mythology, sci-fi or contemporary issues in society. The sole purpose of a movie is 'Entertainment' and not to educate persons of events! In simple words, if an individual is keen on knowing the facts of a case or true events in history, the same cannot be gained out of a feature film. It is a work of fiction and should be treated like one. Interest groups are confused between a feature film and a documentary. Documentaries are non-fictional in nature and depict facts and true events. Documentaries are supposed to be educational and informative in nature. Interest groups seem to not understand the distinction between a feature film and a documentary meant for educational and information purposes. Several movies, such as Padmavat, Kedarnath, Zero, Uri, have gone through the process of justifying/modifying scenes/dialogues in the movies because of the chaos created by interest groups stating that their sentiments have been hurt. Don't you think the Indian society is becoming aggressively touchy about these issues?

The popularity of cinema should not be misused by artists and directors. Films should not be used to make political statements and should never mislead the public about an event that has taken place. By misuse, it simply means that when a true event is depicted in the form of a motion picture or a web series, people are often unaware of the actual events and tend to believe the depiction blindly. Hence, there exists a certain responsibility on the artists to express selectively.

Artistic license or rather dramatic license involves the glamorization of real-world incidents for the sake of a cinematic experience. A cinema artist has the license to express his/her artistic/dramatic side just like a poet expresses his/her imagination through poems. This depiction is interpreted and criticized by interest groups stating that it is offensive to their beliefs, however, it is necessary to understand that this depiction has to be viewed only on – artistic merit. Our film fraternity has over the years gained immense laurels and has been acclaimed for its work worldwide. Indian cinema produces over 1,600 films every year. This industry continues to grow every single day.

Compiled by: Adv. Sachi Kapoor | Concept & Edited by: Dr. Mohan Dewan

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