Nobody can forget the outrage that followed the release of Padmaavat. Even after being assured from that everything was fine with the movie, the vandals of Karni Sena didn’t stop creating mayhem, burning shops, and destroying public property.
The liberal intelligentsia, like preying crocodiles, grabbed the opportunity with both hands, tried to shame the native communities, associating the vandals with them, even though they were the first ones to criticize the movie for its alleged ‘demonization’ of Alauddin Khilji when the movie finally hit the silver screens.
However, approximately 3 months later, a similar situation has arisen in Bengal, courtesy the controversial theme of the movie. Starring film artiste and ex FTII director Gajendra Chauhan in the lead role, the film ‘Danga – The Riot’, is facing an unofficial blackout due to its portrayal of a dark episode in Bengal’s history: Direct Action Day riots, which could have almost wiped out the entire Sanatani and Sikh population in Bengal had activists like Shyama Prasad Mukherjee and Gopal Mukherjee not intervened.
The unofficial blackout means that no theater is ready to show the movie on screen in Bengal until further notice. First the anti Hindu riots in Dhulagarh, Basirhat, Bardhaman etc., coupled by blatant restrictions on celebrating Sanatani festivals like Holi, Durga Puja, Ram Navami etc., followed by mass exodus of Sanatanis from districts like Asansol, Raniganj etc., and now this. One is forced to think : Has Mamata Banerjee officially embraced dictatorship in Bengal?
Before delving deep into the Bengali version of the ‘Jungle Raj’, let’s have a look at the basic premise : ‘Danga : The Riot’ is a film directed by Milan Bhowmik, based on the Direct Action Day riots of 1946 in Bengal. Starring Gajendra Chauhan as the legendary nationalist Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, this movie is a take on how the Sanatani activists were forced to take law in their own hands in an attempt to save their beloved Bengal, when they were denied justice from every corner post the Direct Action Day riots.
Sadly, the movie faces a total boycott, with theatre owners being threatened of dire consequences if the movie is released in Bengal. To quote director Bhowmik himself, “…the owners of all the theatres that were scheduled to screen his film, have been unofficially threatened… I have the audio recording of my conversation with a booker and an exhibitor where they have told me that they got calls from the police asking them not to screen the film.”
A few theatre owners have confirmed this, and revealed that the police won’t be able to assist them should any attack happen after the release. To quote a testimony (on the condition of anonymity), as given to the Swarajya magazine, “We were told that if we screen the film, we will be doing so at our own risk… I was told the police would not be able to provide any protection from the protesters. I cancelled the screening and informed the booker on Thursday (26 April) since I do not want to take any risk and do not want any damage to my property. I also did not want to incur the displeasure of the state government.”
The last line says it all. Despite such threats hovering on theatre owners, the state government has issued no assurance that the film will release without any hassle.
Interestingly, Mamata Banerjee is notorious for her excessive minority appeasement and an extremely soft corner for anti social elements residing in her state. Anything detrimental to their interests, even in the form of an artistic expression, is not be tolerated. This attitude of hers clearly reminds us of the dark days of Emergency, when films like ‘Aandhi’, ‘Kissa Kursi Ka’, ‘Dus Numbri’ suffered the axe just because the filmmakers refused to toe the line of the dictatorial government of Indira Gandhi.
This is not the first time that Mamata Banerjee has resorted to such tactics to stay in power. Also, this is not the first time that the liberal intelligentsia, who would otherwise cry hoarse, maintained a deathly silence on this issue. However, the continued silence, and a brazen apathy towards such hooliganism only means one thing : Mamata Banerjee is bereft of any emotions or mercy. Hopefully Bengal will wake up to this hard truth.