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Reminded us a lot of the film Mr & Mrs Iyer made by Aparna Sen three years earlier. That too starred Konkona Sen Sharma and dealt with a similar... | Reminded us a lot of the film Mr & Mrs Iyer made by Aparna Sen three years earlier. That too starred Konkona Sen Sharma and dealt with a similar subject, hinted at in the closing shot of Amu: the genocide of Muslims by Hindus in Gujarat - a more recent Indian example of 'revenge' killings to which police and State government turned a blind eye. Apparently, they are still in denial.
A compelling film with a powerful message which deserves a wide audience. According to this interview with the director and her producer husband (http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/oct2005/bose-o06.shtml) "The [Indian] censor board gave it an A certificate, which is an adult certificate, and the reason they gave, because there is no sex or violence, was why should young people know a history that is better buried and forgotten.
"They took out certain lines. When the widow is asked by the male protagonist, was it one or two ministers [who organized the atrocities], and she says, no, it was the entire state, the bureaucracy, the government, the politicians, the police, all. They removed that line."
Of course, the issue is sadly not limited to India, as the filmmakers illustrate later in this interview. I'd also be interested to see the 'Making of Amu' film referred to in the end credits. |