IFFI Row: Asrani Resigns From Jury; ‘S Durga’ Director Moves Court

Sujoy Ghosh had earlier resigned as IFFI jury chief.

Jury chief Sujoy Ghosh had resigned yesterday after the I&B Ministry’s controversial decision to pull out Nude and S Durga from the 48th International Film Festival (IFFI), Goa. Now, another jury member Apurva Asrani has resigned too, while S Durga’s director, Sanal Kumar Sasidharan has moved the Kerala High Court against the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and officials for "illegal, arbitrary and unjust exclusion" of his movie from the final selection.

Apurva Asrani is the second jury member to resign after Sujoy Ghosh. The writer told Indian Express:

My conscience won’t allow me to participate in the festivities in Goa.

Apurva Asrani, former jury member, IFFI

Malayalam filmmaker Sanal Kumar Sasidharan has on the other hand moved court. "I have filed a writ petition before the Hon'ble High Court of Kerala against this unprecedented, illogical and unconstitutional action taken by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting," Sasidharan wrote in his Facebook page.

“The title is now amended as S Durga (formerly Sexy Durga) and the film has been given a U/A certification by CBFC, implying that there is no objectionable content in the film. Hence, there is no valid ground for excluding the film of the petitioner.”

Sanal Kumar Sasidharan, Director, S Durga

The filmmaker has also acknowledged the support shown by some jury members on Facebook.

(Inputs: IANS, Indian Express)

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