New Delhi, Nov. 8: Indian films face a new test: they mustn?t annoy Beijing.
Sources today suggested a foreign office hand in the censor board?s directive asking the producer of Rockstar to blur visuals in the film of ?Tibetan flags? and a banner proclaiming ?Free Tibet?. All in the interest of India?s ?friendly relations? with China.
Officially, the external affairs ministry wouldn?t say if it sent the censors such instructions. But an official said: ?Why make an enemy out of China when both countries are trying to mend relations??
According to South Block officials, Beijing believes that much of the China-related content in the Indian media is engineered by New Delhi. ?We need to dispel the perception,? the official said.
The Tibetan community in India is accusing New Delhi of going out of its way to kowtow to Beijing and plans protests in Dharamshala and some major cities on Friday, when the Ranbir Kapoor-starrer is to release.
Sources said South Block officials had been concerned after watching the film?s promo on TV. The promo features the song, Sadda Haq Ithe Rakh, shot at a Dharamshala monastery. The scene shows Tibetan flags and banners.
A foreign ministry official said the Cinematograph Act, 1952, states that the censors must ensure, among other things, that a film doesn?t go ?against the interest of... friendly relations with foreign states?.
The official also said that any film produced in India needs to be consistent with the foreign policy of the country, which recognises Tibet as a part of China. ?China is not only a rising power and our largest neighbour, it is also a crucial trading partner.?
India and China plan to take bilateral trade from the current $60 billion to $100 billion by 2015. However, the trade is overwhelmingly in China?s favour. New Delhi has been requesting Beijing to allow more trade in pharma, IT, farm products and films ?sectors where India believes it has an edge.
South Block also wants unrestricted access to China for Indian films at a time movies like 3 Idiots have been popular among Chinese audiences.
Sources said the more immediate reason for the decision on Rockstar was the recent India trip by Xinjiang governor Nur Bekry, who supports the screening of Hindi films in China. Indian movies are popular in Xinjiang, as are the Shah Rukh Khans and Salman Khans.
Bekry travelled to Mumbai to ask filmmakers to shoot in the picturesque Kashgar region in his province, arguing its geographical proximity to Delhi would save them money compared with Europe trips.
Source: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1111109/jsp/frontpage/story_14726368.jsp
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