Renowned filmmaker Kamal Swaroop’s documentary Pushkar Puran is being held up by the Central Board of Film Certification, the executive producer of the film tweeted. The board has asked the producers to provide proof of authenticity of the content shown in the film despite offering it an A certificate, said Kashyap Swaroop, the director’s son, in a lengthy Twitter thread.
Swaroop is known for his cult classic Om-Dar-B-Dar (1988), a surrealist exploration of the life of a young boy named Om living in Ajmer. In Pushkar Puran, Swaroop attempts to articulate some of the ideas presented by Roberto Calasso in his book Ka: Stories of the Mind and Gods of India, through the prism of the annual Pushkar Mela in Rajasthan.
The censor board has reportedly asked the makers to “bring proof of authentication of the information about the Mythological and Historical matter mentioned in the film as shown”. It has also demanded that the producers submit a No Objection Certificate from the Animal Welfare Bureau of India for its depiction of animals and birds.
“We’ve categorically stated that the film is of a Mythological nature, often creating its own myths through the words of the people of Pushkar,” Kashyap tweeted. “How can a certification board challenge the veracity or morality of a subjective art like cinema? Is this not muffling free speech?”
We've categorically stated that the film is of a Mythological nature, often creating its own myths through the words of the people of Pushkar. How can a certification board challenge the veracity or morality of a subjective art like cinema? Is this not muffling free speech?
— Kashyap (@LowKashWala) December 27, 2017
Pushkar Puran was premiered at the Montreal World Film Festival in September, and has been screened at DOK Leipzig and the Mumbai Film Festival. Puskhar Puran was also the opening title in the non-feature film category of the Indian Panorama section at the International Film Festival of India.