Ashvin Kumar on the CBFC vs ‘No Fathers In Kashmir’ Controversy

Filmmaker Ashvin Kumar wonders if ‘Uri’ could get a UA certificate then why not his film?

Filmmaker Ashvin Kumar with Shivam Raina and Zara Webb, the actors of No Fathers In Kashmir.

Filmmaker Ashvin Kumar who is currently battling with the CBFC for a UA certificate for his new film No Fathers In Kashmir, tells us why the Certification Board’s demands for cuts and modifications in his film is frivolous and why the audience which watched Uri would definitely not mind watching No Fathers In Kashmir.

CBFC vs No Fathers In Kashmir

“The application for our film No Fathers in Kashmir was made on the 15 July 2018 and now it's January, so I guess now it's over 6 months that we have been waiting for this issue to be resolved. Meanwhile, the film has gone from the first screening at CBFC, second screening at CBFC, screening at FCAT, we've gone back to the CBFC for another screening and now we're going to go back to the FCAT.”

“The current status of the film is that it's been banned as much as it has been refused  a certificate and maybe if we make a few cuts and modifications maybe we will receive an Adult certificate.”

The Problem With CBFC’s Ruling

“I can't get into the exact nature of the cuts because there is a legal process on, but what I can say is that they are entirely frivolous in fact more than frivolous, they are really bad in law. They don't take into consideration CBFC's own certificates that have been given to previous films such as Haider, Half Widows and Textures of Loss which is about stone pelting in Kashmir. Haider was quite critical of the state, given a UA certificate I believe. Textures of Loss about stone pelting in Kashmir was given a U certificate by the High Court after the CBFC gave it an A certificate, so it's almost the same case as ours. Half Widows was given a UA certificate, which had the same theme as our film which is about the half widows in Kashmir and the disappeared men. And when we brought this up in the hearing, this was dismissed completely.”

Uri vs No Father’s In Kashmir

“At the outset I must say I have not see Uri but I have received reports, and I believe Uri is not only violent which I guess a war movie needs to be but it's also pretty gory, which is also part of, Game of Thrones for example, or any other film or series that is available freely on the internet, is gory and that's the reality we live in and perhaps it's got the correct certificate for what it shows which is a UA certificate. The irony here is that our film has too applied for a UA certificate but our film is deemed inappropriate for that sort of audience whereas a film like Uri is fine. Now our film has no sex, no violence, no drugs, no abuses. The film is about two teenagers, 16 year olds, who fall in love and have their first heartbreak and while in the search for their missing fathers, discover a few truths about Kashmir. I am 100% sure that an audience that would have seen Uri and then would have seen No Fathers In Kashmir would wonder what this whole fuss about first banning us, giving us an A, demanding frivolous cuts, what this whole fuss, this 6 months of delay has all been all about.”