The Censor Board is afraid of reality: Ashvin Kumar

Filmmaker Ashvin Kumar may be best-known for his Oscar nominated film Little Terrorist, but the indie director is equally known for his run-ins with controversies and Censor Board.

“They are a puritan lot, divorced from today’s liberal society and afraid to face reality,” he fumes, as he recalls getting into trouble with the Censor Board for several of his films including Inshallah Football, Dazed in Doon and Inshallah Kashmir.

But not the one to give in, Ashvin had his films uploaded  online and they were well-received too. “I will never compromise on my ideals of cinema, even if that will mean commercial suicide. I would rather give up making films and join family business, than let go of my freedom as a filmmaker,” he says.

Now readying for the release of his commercial ecological thriller The Forest, the director talks about the film that took nearly five years to release and also reveals his future projects:

Q: The Forest took a really long time to release, more than five years…
A: Yes, six to be exact, as it took a long time to find the right distributors. But the delay has been a blessing in disguise, as I feel that today the audience is more ready to accept content-based cinema, than it was six years back. 

Q: The trailers had run into censor trouble?
A: The trailer was delayed by two weeks and then given an ‘A’ certificate. But then when has the Censor Board ever been trouble free? (Laughs). You know there’s obnoxious stuff shown on TV everyday, but when it comes to films, they all want to curb creativity. There’s no censorship on books, paintings or sculptures, then why on films?

Q: The film also carries an ecological message…
A: The film’s a classic man vs wild thriller. It has subtexts and emotional layers of complex relationships interwined between a couple, but yes, at the end, it has a message of wild life conservation. It has been inspired and influenced by Jim Corbett’s works, but it’s not a remake of any Hollywood flick. I would never waste my time on copies. 

Q: Most of your films have a strong affinity towards exploring the dark side of human nature…
A: Because that’s the most honest emotion and the most well-hidden too. We are the sculptors of human condition and we all have a darkside. I find it challenging to bring that out on screen and make people come face to face with their dark side.

Q: Considering your mum Ritu Kumar is such a well-known fashion designer, did you ever consider that as a career option?
A: I’ve always been passionate about films, more than fashion. So, I just gradually went on to making films, over making clothes.

Q: What’s your next project?
A: I am planning to make a woman-centric film set in the fashion world. The scripting is still on, but it will be more mainstream than my previous films.