Unfreedom

Unfreedom: Blemished light (Hindi: Dagh Ujala) is a 2014 Indian drama film by Raj Amit Kumar,[2] which was released in North America on 29 May 2015.[3] Faiz Ahmad Faiz's poem, "Ye Dagh Dagh Ujala", is the inspiration behind the film.[4] The film stars Victor Banerjee,[5] Adil Hussain.[6] and Preeti Gupta.[7]

Unfreedom
English-language poster of the film
Directed byRaj Amit Kumar
Produced byRaj Amit Kumar
Written byRaj Amit Kumar
Damon J Taylor
StarringVictor Banerjee
Adil Hussain
Bhanu Uday
Preeti Gupta
Bhavani Lee
Ankur Vikal
Seema Rahmani
Samrat Chakrabarti
Music byWayne Sharpe
Jesse Kotansky
CinematographyHari Nair
Edited byAtanu Mukherjee
Production
company
Dark Frames
69 Productions
Release date
  • December 2014 (2014-12) (Kerala International Film Festival)[1]
  • 29 May 2015 (2015-05-29)
Running time
103 minutes
CountryUnited States
India
LanguageEnglish
Hindi

The story revolves around a Muslim fundamentalist in New York who kidnaps a liberal Muslim scholar with an intent to kill, while a closeted lesbian in New Delhi kidnaps her bisexual lover with the intent of being together. Then the resulting torture and violence evokes a brutal struggle of identities against "unfreedom".[8]

Cast

Production

Hari Nair is the cinematographer of the film[13] with Wayne Sharpe[14] and Jesse Kotansky composing the soundtrack. Resul Pookutty[15] did the sound design. Deepa Bajaj, who also was the post-production producer, worked on the publicity campaign and distribution of the film.

In India, the Central Board of Film Certification refused to certify the movie for public release in India.[16]

Censorship

In India, the film was refused certification by the Examining Committee. A revising committee of the Censor Board proposed cuts to the director, Raj Amit Kumar. He refused and appealed against the Censor Board's demand for cuts to the Indian Government's Information and Broadcasting Appellate Tribunal FCAT. In response to his appeal, the authorities completely banned the film regardless of cuts.[17] The news of the ban gained widespread coverage in the media.[18][19]

In a video released on April 9, 2015 on YouTube, Raj Amit Kumar states that the Censor Board should rate or certify a movie, instead of banning and offering cuts. He also said that he would keep sending signed petitions to the Prime Minister and Censor Board, until there is a real change. The director is seeking support from people who believe in freedom of speech.[20]

See also
  • Fire, 1996 film about a lesbian relationship that was the subject of violent protests after release in India.

References
  1. https://in.news.yahoo.com/banned-india-unfreedom-released-north-america-054618002.html |2015-02-11
  2. "American Indian director Amit to make BLEMISHED LIGHT". 6 July 2011. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
  3. "Dark Frames to Release 'Unfreedom,' Starring Victor Banerjee". 10 February 2015.
  4. "Victor Banerjee to star in Blemished Light". 6 July 2011. Archived from the original on 27 March 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
  5. "'Today, no one respects age, experience, talent or discipline'". 17 July 2011. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
  6. "'Grey Matter – Bollywood's latest discovery – Adil Hussain seeks complex roles in the industry'". 28 December 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
  7. "IIT SCREENS BANNED FILM ABOUT LESBIANS".
  8. "Raj Amit Kumar to use crowdfunding campaign to release his film, Unfreedom". 17 February 2015.
  9. "I am fortunate I am still fresh" Upcoming movies of Bhanu Uday". 17 July 2011. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  10. "Preeti Gupta: A bold portrayal".
  11. "Actor Bhavani Lee shoots for 'Blemished Light'". 25 November 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  12. "American Indian director Amit to make BLEMISHED LIGHT". 17 July 2011. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
  13. "Hit by the shutter bug". The Times of India. 18 October 2011. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
  14. "Wayne Sharpe: American composer in Bollywood". CNN. 15 June 2010. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  15. "America has banned more films than India: Resul Pookutty". Hindustan Times. 1 April 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  16. "Film on Homosexuality UnFreedom Banned in India". Outlook. 30 March 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  17. "BOARD BANS FILM ON GAYS, CLAIMS IT'LL IGNITE 'UNNATURAL PASSION'". Mumbai Mirror. 28 March 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  18. "After Unfreedom Ban, filmmakers come together in the fight against Censorship". Times Now. 1 April 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  19. "Film review: Un-Freedom". Batori. 28 June 2015. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
  20. "'Unfreedom' director calls for freedom of expression". Times of India. 14 April 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
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