Right-Wing Hindu Organization Objects Screening Of ‘I am not River Jhelum’ Film At NFAI Pune
Pune, 11th February 2024: The Pune City Police have initiated an inquiry into the screening of the film ‘I am not River Jhelum’ during the ‘Cinemas of India – A Festival of Contemporary Indian Films’ at the National Film Archives of India (NFAI) on Law College Road today. The probe was prompted after a right-wing group called Samasta Hindu Bandhav Sanghatana objected to the screening, alleging derogatory references to the Indian Army in the film.
The group raised slogans of “Jai Shree Ram” at the entrance. Some of their activists, present in the audience, questioned the organizers about the film. The incident took place around 3 pm. ‘I am not River Jhelum’ is an award-winning and critically acclaimed feature film that provides glimpses into the life of its young protagonist, Afeefa, living in Kashmir.
Vivek Hasabnis, the Senior Police Inspector of Deccan Police Station, arrived at the venue after the incident. He took the activists to the police station, assuring that appropriate action would be taken based on the identified objections.
“The film, directed by Prabhas Chandra, had the filmmaker himself present during the screening. We aim to prevent any potential law and order issues, and therefore, a decision on further action will be made after obtaining legal opinions on the film’s content,” stated Hasabnis.
A total of 18 individuals, including Ravindra Dilip Padwal, the president of Samast Hindu Bandhav Sanghatana, were detained by the police. They were released around 8 pm after the preliminary inquiry.
The screening was part of the ‘Cinemas of India’ festival organized by Pune International Centre (PIC), in collaboration with the International Federation of Film Critics – India Chapter (FIPRESCI-India), and NFDC-NFAI (National Film Development Corporation-National Film Archive of India). Twelve award-winning Indian films from various languages, including Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Manipuri-Tangkhul, Rajasthani-Hindi, and Khasi-Jaintia-Garo-Hindi, were showcased during the three-day event.
The festival was spearheaded by FIPRESCI-India General Secretary Premendra Mazumder, with support from Joint Secretary (Films), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Prithul Kumar. Latika Padgaonkar served as the Film Festival Convenor.
