How much is too much? Vizag Janta speaks on the protests against the creative freedom

The recent turn of events against some filmmakers in the country has left everyone divided over one question- “How much is too much?” While the primary purpose of a visual content, or any art form for that matter, lies in its ability to express the creator’s thought and vision, certain boundaries exist to ensure that no sentiments are hurt and no one is offended. The films of ‘Ramleela’, ‘Viswaroopam’, ‘Vangaveeti’, and ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ are a few which caught the ire of several groups and were involved in major controversies during their release. The problem, however, isn’t restricted to India. Hollywood films such as ‘The Godfather’ and ‘The Da Vinci Code’ were also surrounded by major controversies and even received threats.

In the wake of the recent protests against Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Padmaavat‘ and Ram Gopal Varma‘s ‘God, Sex and Truth’ in Visakhapatnam, we interacted with a few individuals from the city and got to know what they feel about setting limits on the creative freedom of a filmmaker.

“It is important to treat a film as a film. It should never be taken on a personal level and we should come to terms with this fact. If the current scenario persists for too long, there’s a grave risk that the filmmakers will back away from implementing creative thoughts fearing the backlash they would probably receive.”

– Rahul, Student and film enthusiast

“I’m surprised that the protests are being organised in Vizag as well. When you don’t like a film, don’t watch it, period. It is as simple as it sounds. Also, no individual nowadays would be as naive to be disguised by a film which is a mere portrayal of what the filmmaker wants to convey to us.”

– Vinayak, Businessman, and a big-time movie buff

“I hope that the people who are protesting, come out and stand against other heinous crimes such as rapes and infanticides. Agitating and burning effigies of film directors won’t do any good to them or the society.”

-Prakruti, Software Engineer

“It’s difficult to understand why these filmmakers choose to film a topic which is invariably bound to erupt controversies. Also, considering the fact that the youth gets profoundly impacted by movies, a movie (God, Sex and Truth) which says sex is the most pleasurable thing in the world, holds the potential of luring the youngsters on a wrong track.I understand that the movie should be viewed from a holistic and a more matured perspective, but how many of us really stay true to these aspects while watching one?”

-Prasad Rao, Retired School Teacher, and a philanthropist

What do you think? Do let us know in the comments section below.