Locals cry foul over illegal construction for Satyagraha

Prakash Jha has allegedly carried out construction work at a Bhopal heritage palace playground

Little did Prakash Jha know while making a film titled Satyagraha that one day he too would be at the receiving end of a similar social movement! After allegedly carrying out illegal construction work in a Bhopal playground, the filmmaker has been facing the wrath of local residents. This playground incidentally was the very spot from where Mahatma Gandhi had issued his first call for Satyagraha in 1929. 

The Bhopal Citizens Forum (BCF) has objected to the laying of a tar-road and construction of a makeshift market by the production house at the grounds of the historic 19th century Benazir Palace. 

The issue was brought to the notice of the National Monuments Authority (NMA). They alleged that such temporary constructions would damage the historic fabric of the area which includes the grand Taj Mahal Palace (a namesake of the Taj Mahal), built by Nawab Begum Shahjehan of Bhopal.
Benazir Palace ground in Bhopal

Green signal?
Incidentally, sources from the city's administrative department has claimed that the MP state government machinery has given a green chit to Jha after State Chief Secretary R Parasuram visited the location on Saturday morning. The shoot is slated to begin on January 26 and 80 per cent of the film will be shot there.

Moolah matters
A district official, on conditions of anonymity, also alleges that the site that is otherwise rented at a cost of 2 lakh per month has been given to the filmmaker and his unit for a paltry amount of R 25, 000 for the month.

Locals also complain of Jha being given a `free run` of the city. In the meanwhile, the district collector has asked the film's producers to file an affidavit stating that no damage would be done to the grounds or the palace and that it would be restored to its original state.

Jha's close aide Zulfikar Ali says, Prakashji has shot three other films in Bhopal earlier and we will be submitting the affidavit at the earliest. We have requisite permissions and the ground will be restored to its original condition

The director however is the least bit affected by the locals' ire. As a reaction to the allegations levelled against him, Jha shoots back, What should I say? Go and ask the people who have raised these objections. The shoot will start as per the schedule.

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Now Prakash Jha lashes out at Yashraj's alleged monopoly

Everyone knows by now that Ajay Devgn has waged an all-out ideological war against the alleged monopolistic practices of Yashraj Films. 

In his fight against what he believes to be a monopolistic trade practice of Yashraj Films Ajay Devgn is not alone. Filmmaker Prakash Jha, a long-standing friend of Devgn, has pitched in vocally with Ajay, going as far as to say he's willing to take on the various film guilds and associations in Bollywood in Devgn's fight against Yashraj's alleged monopoly. 

Says Prakash Jha, I'm a hundred percent with Ajay on this issue not only because he's a friend but because I know he's fighting a valid battle against a trade monopoly that exists. Those in the industry who want to sentimentalize the issue are only burying their heads in the sand hiding away from the truth.

Speaking out loud for the first time Prakash who has worked extensively with Devgn in the past and is all set to start his new film Satyagrah with Devgn in the lead, expresses disgust at what he calls the alleged monopolistic practices of Yashraj. 
Says Jha, With due respects to Mr Yash Chopra whom we all have the highest regard for, this kind of thing has to stop. Does Ajay Devgn seem like the kind of guy who would raise such an issue unless he was sure of his facts? I'm a hundred percent behind Ajay because I've been a victim of the monopoly.

Says Prakash, Why should Ajay allow his film to suffer because of this monopoly? Son Of Sardar is not a small film. Please understand, Ajay's fight doesn't concern the multiplex chain of theatres. 

It is the single theatres which still account for 30 percent of our total revenues, that have been pressurized into such a monopolistic commitment during the release of Ek Tha Tiger. Agreed Eid is synonymous with Salman. 

So flooding theatres with Ek Tha Tiger during Eid made some sense. But why should only Jab Tak Hai Jaan get a major portion of the theatres during Diwali when there is enough room for two releases specially when the other release happens to be a big Ajay Devgn project? Yeh kya baat hui? Eid bhi hamara, Diwali bhi hamara. So what are other filmmaker supposed to do? Wait in the line?

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Current situations inspired Jha to make Satyagraha

Filmmaker Prakash Jha says that India's current state of affairs has inspired him to make his next film "Satyagraha".

"You must be eagerly waiting for the next film 'Satyagraha'. The whole world is in the line of agitation; people are fed up of corruption, inflation, and mal-administration. Amidst these problems, beautiful stories are coming out. By bonding these stories together I am making 'Satyagraha'. So, I always try to match up to your expectations," the 60-year-old told reporters.

Jha had reached a theatre here along with actors Abhay Deol and Ajali Patil to gauge the audience's response to his latest film "Chakravyuh". Released on Dusshera, the film talks about the Maoist issue in India and stars Arjun Rampal, Abhay Deol, Esha Gupta and Anjali Patil.

Jha is happy with the kind of response the film is getting.

"The kinds of compliments we are getting are beyond our imagination. Javed Akhtar saab, Shabanaji (Azmi), Shekhar (Kapur), friends, critics, people (are liking the film). I am so touched that every time a show ends, I get a call that 'sir, people are clapping'," he said.

"So, no matter how has our marketing been, I feel the audience will now market it. According to the reports that have come up, people have liked the film, getting emotional and reacting. This is my biggest achievement and I feel this is both - my award and reward," he added.

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Cinema can't bring the social change

Prakash Jha's films are based on social themes but manage to garner critical appreciation and a sizeable audience. In real life, the filmmaker is the mirror image of his work ” serious but with flashes of humour. Jha, who has made winning National Awards a habit, is all geared up for the release of his upcoming film, Chakravyuh, based on the Naxal issue

There have been a few films on the Naxal issue in Bollywood (Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi, Red Alert, Aalaap). How different is Chakravyuh?
(Laughs) I haven't watched all these films. The only film I remember watching is Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi. Based on my research and understanding, I have tried to keep my film as simple as possible.

What significance does the title Chakravyuh hold?
Why do we keep a unique name? So that people remember it. The name represents the sentiment of the film. I have always opted for new titles like Gangaajal, Apaharan and Aarakshan. Chakravyuh is about two friends (played by Arjun Rampal and Abhay Deol), belonging to different backgrounds, who get into a situation from which there seems to be no escape. 

They are at war with each other like the two societies of India - the deprived tribal society which has raised arms, and the rest of the state. And there doesn't seem to be any escape from this.
Does the fear of being partial to either side of the issue bother you while making such a film?
No. I have to remain neutral. I have to find out why something is happening and why this psyche is developing, and weave it into the portrayal onscreen. Who am I to pass a judgment? But I can try and understand why. Even in my personal life, I don't like making judgments. Instead of judging, I would rather be rational.

How difficult was it for Abhay Deol to play someone from a small town?
Why should it be difficult? He is an actor. He wasn't challenged to do that earlier but now he has got into the action role pretty well. There's lot of raw action in the film and his persona suits the role really well. He plays a vulnerable, emotional character and it has come across pretty well. I appreciate his approach to work.

Unlike Manoj Bajpayee, Arjun Rampal and Abhay Deol, your leading lady Esha Gupta (who is playing a policewoman) is not familiar with more realistic cinema or your style of working.
In Esha, I found the kind of personality I was looking for. When I signed her, none of her films had released; I saw her capability through a screen test. 

She has performed pretty well and so has Anjali Patil, who plays a Naxal in the film. They are very keen actors; they know what the script demands.

The system is the same with everybody - we do a lot of research and reading and try to understand the character before we shoot over several sessions. I try to inform my actors about the history, sociology and the various implications.
What kind of research went into Chakravyuh?
We went through whatever has been printed over the years. We travelled to that area, talked to the cops and Naxals, and spent time with them. My kind of cinema requires inputs.

What is Prakash Jha's kind of cinema?
Social, content-based.

What makes you keep going back to Amitabh Bachchan and Ajay Devgn, who headline your next film, Satyagraha?
They both are good human beings and very powerful performers who resort to minimal acting.

Does it make a difference to you that Kareena, your Satyagraha heroine, is married now?
No. I knew that Kareena was going to get married.
When you make issue-based films, are you trying to extend your role as a filmmaker? Are you hoping that they become catalysts of change?
I just want to open these issues up for understanding and discussion. I don't think cinema is capable of bringing about social change but I am sure it can educate and inform people, and emotionally move them. But a whole lot of other factors and motivations are required to bring in a change in society. Nevertheless, this is the medium I use to express myself so this is how I do it.

Your previous film Aarakshan had to be edited before it was screened. Since Chakravyuh is based on Naxalites, what responses and consequences do you anticipate?
I didn't edit my film for any state. Punjab and UP banned it and there was some disturbance in Maharashtra. But I won the case in the Supreme Court and my film was released everywhere. In Chakravyuh, I have tried to depict what the situation is. 

I don't know what will happen in the future. I am not qualified to judge or take a stand. I have tried to put up honestly whatever I have observed, so I think there shouldn't be any problem.

But reality bites...
Yes, but what can we do about it?

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Smothered by Karan Johar, Prakash Jha's film runs helter skelter

If it's impossible to release a film on the same Friday as Karan Johar, it is next to impossible to place your product in the following week either. 

This, Prakash Jha has learnt as his film Chakravyuha gets set to release after Karan Johar Student Of The Year (SOTY). 

Says a source close to Jha, There is almost non-existence space for the marketing of Chakravyuha. Every conceivable advertorial spot on television and other conventional media for a movie's marketing are reserved for Karan Johar's film. Jha has to depend almost entirely on theatrical trailers to put his product before the audience.
An option explored by Prakash Jha was to let SOTY be released and then unleash an intense wave of publicity and marketing in the last week leading up to his release. However that option had to be discarded since Chakravyuha opens on Wednesday, two days ahead of the customary Friday opening, which gives Jha's film a mere 5-day window post-SOTY release. 

Says the source close to Jha, Chakravyuha finds itself in a peculiar spot. It has all its stars from Arjun Rampal to Om puri most willing to promote the film, but not enough space to do do, the spotlight being on Karan Johar and his three newcomers.

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Prakash Jha gets past the Censor Board

Enough, as they say, is enough. Beleaguered by constant censorial trouble over the songs of his new film Chakravyuha, Jha earlier this week approached the honourable Tribunal in New Delhi requesting them to overturn the decision taken by the Censor Board Of Film Certification (CBFC) to ban the remix version of the controversial Mehngai song.

In a historic judgement the Tribunal on Tuesday overturned the CBFC's decision to ban the remix version of the Mehngai song which apparently takes snide digs at the 'raider cop' Vasant Dhoble by showing a group of youngsters in the fun mode being interrupted by lawmakers.

The CBFC in all its wisdom decided to ban the music video apparently arguing that it was casting aspersions on individuals.

Jha fought back by taking the ban to the Tribunal and getting it revoked. Significantly the song had been banned by both the bodies of the CBFC, the Examining Committee (EC) and the Revising Committee (RC).

By moving to an arbitrating agency outside the censorboard Jha has effectually thumbed his nose at the censor board, not just questioning its authority over the content of a film but also sending a clear signal in the Mumbai film industry that a film's fate needn't always be clinched at the CBFC.

Jubilantly Jha said, `I approached the Tribunal after the remix of my song was rejected first by the EC and then the RC at the CBFC. I couldn't see the logic of it, since earlier the same song had been passed by the censorboard. How can the remix version of an approved song be banned? I approached the Tribunal which heard my case on Tuesday and they kindly revoked the ban. `

Prakash says he isn't feeling vindicated by the triumph.

`I am exhausted by the constant tug 'o' war with the censorboard. Almost every film of mine from when I made Damul in 1985 has faced censor trouble. We need clearer policies. At the moment there are way too many contradictions, ` says Jha

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Tata Birla not meant to disrespect anyone: Prakash Jha

Filmmaker Prakash Jha, who is all set to come out with his film, "Chakravyuh", says that the song "Tata Birla Ambani aur Bata" is not meant to disrespect anyone. He has also added that they have voluntarily put a disclaimer in the song.

"We have taken the song 'Tata Birla' from the villages. This is their way of protest. When we think of the face of the industrialists, we think of Tatas and Birlas. We have no intention of disrespect. We have also put a disclaimer voluntarily," he said at the music launch of the film held Wednesday.

Based on Maoists in the country, "Chakravyuh" stars Arjun Rampal, Manoj Bajpayee, Abhay Deol, Isha Gupta and Anjali Patil.

Jha also elaborated on the story of the film saying: "The story is about two friends who are stuck in a situation due to their beliefs. They take decisions and it is tough for them to get out of it."

The music of the film has been composed by Salim-Sulaiman.

The film is all set to release on Oct 24.

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SC notice to Punjab on Aarakshan film ban

The Supreme Court Monday issued notice to the Punjab government on a petition by film producer Prakash Jha seeking compensation for banning the screening of his 2011 film "Aarakshan".

"Aarakshan", starring Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone, deals with caste-based reservation in the education system.

An apex court bench of Justice R.M. Lodha and Justice Anil R. Dave issued the notice after senior counsel Harish Salve, appearing for Jha, told the court that the object of the plea was to send a message that such decisions by government officials were wrong.

Telling the court that compensation being sought by the film producer was symbolic in nature and even rupee one would serve the purpose of sending the message to the officials that they could not act contrary to the statutory provisions.

Salve made it clear that if he was awarded compensation, it should come from the officials who took the decision of banning the screening of the film in Punjab in August 2011. The ban followed a similar decision in Uttar Pradesh.

The apex court Aug 19 last year quashed the two-month ban imposed by the Uttar Pradesh government on the screening of the film.

While quashing the suspension of the screening ordered by Uttar Pradesh, the court had said that "reservation is a very delicate and also one of the social issues and in a vibrant democracy, like our, public discussion is necessary for its functioning".

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Safety first for Prakash Jha?

To escape the ire from certain sections of the society, Prakash Jha seeks Supreme Court's help before the release of his forthcoming political drama

With political films like Raajneeti and Aarakshan, Prakash Jha has often attracted the wrath from certain quarters of the society. To avoid the same, before the release of his upcoming film, the filmmaker has apparently sought help from the Supreme Court.

When Aarakshan, based on caste reservation, released, several Indian states like Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh banned its screening. Certain sections even complained about a series of 'controversial' scenes and dialogues.

Our source says, The order that has now been passed is under the Cinematographic Act, where in the Government will have to allow a film's screening, once it has been cleared by the Censor Board. To avoid a repeat, Jha sought the SC's help.

Jha tells us, Now, no one can stop the release of my film. No one can raise any question. If anyone tries to do so, they'll have to pay for it!

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Chakravyuh invited for world premiere at London Film Fest

Prakash Jha's next film "Chakravyuh" has been invited to the prestigious London Film Festival for a world premiere in October. The director is elated.

"It's a prestigious festival which provides good exposure for the film. But it is not opening the festival. It has been invited for a world premiere," Jha, whose "Mrityudand" opened the London Film Festival in 1997, told.

The movie, starring Arjun Rampal, Abhay Deol, Manoj Bajpayee, Kabir Bedi and Esha Gupta, was earlier being planned for release Oct 5.

But Jha says since the film festival starts Oct 10, they would have to consider postponing the release to Oct 12.

However, he also pointed out that they are just "thinking about it" at the moment.

He is happy that the festival "is now opening to Bollywood films."

"It's a great thing," he said.

If "Chakravyuh" releases Oct 12, it will be followed by Karan Johar's much-awaited "Student Of The Year" a week later. But Jha believes this won't affect the response to his film.

"There is no big movie coming out the following week. Only 'Student Of The Year' is coming out the next week, which is okay," he said.

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