After successfully challenging the Censor Board’s denial of certification over claims that the Andrea Jeremiah-starrer ‘Manushi’ is anti-national and demanding 30 cuts, the filmmakers are now set to release the film shortly.
With Madras High Court giving the green nod after Justice N Anand Venkatesh had a private screening of the movie and exclaiming that it ‘masterfully explores the dark underbelly of power’, the film crew is readying it for release. The Judge had ordered minor modifications against the 25 cuts and 12 modifications mandated by the CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification).
Claiming it as a victory for freedom of expression to critique society and the state, the film’s director Gopi Nainar said, “Manushi opens up a conversation in order to expand the democratic space and be conscious of the failure of the state as well as society in addressing the structures of oppression. In a country like India, it is not enough to have legislations to curtail casteist atrocities and highhandedness of the instruments of the state. What is needed is implementation.”
On why the CBFC had perceived the film as anti-national, he said, “They see things through the prism of Hindutva which has set a framework which is opposed to any violation of ascribed identity and transgression of ascribed location. It has been the case for over 2000 years. In the movie, the female lead attempts at a democratic conversation.”
The film is produced by acclaimed national award-winning filmmaker Vetrimaran. He had approached the court for the second time since the CBFC insisted on the 37 cuts. The director Gopi Nainar, a well known Dalit activist, rose to fame with his first movie, ‘Aram’ in which the lead was played by female superstar, Nayanthara.
After watching the movie on August 24, along with CBFC officials, the Judge delivered the verdict on Friday. In his judgement, he wrote, “Manushi is a poignant cinematic reflection of how ordinary lives can be torn apart when systematic prejudices and State machinery collide in moments of political suspicion. At its heart, the film narrates the story of a humble father and his young daughter, who find themselves ensnared in a police dragnet because they leased part of their modest property to three women, later branded as extremists. What begins as a gesture of goodwill spirals into a nightmare, as layers of suspicion, ideological bias and caste prejudice converge against innocent lives.”
“The film masterfully explores the dark underbelly of power, exposing how instruments of law and order, when driven by assumptions, can silence reason and trample upon justice,” he observed and added, “The film dares open conversations about God, faith and ideology, language and identity, thereby probing the very foundations of how societies construct belief and justice. It compels viewers to look beyond official narratives and confront the deeper question: who pays the price when prejudice is legitimised by power.”
Further observing that the movie, which is a story of human endurance, transforms into a mirror where viewers cannot escape questioning their own complacency in the face of systemic injustices. “With its layered storytelling … Manushi resonates both as a social critique and a human story. It is more than a film – It is an urgent reminder that justice, when compromised by ideology and prejudice, destroys not only individuals but the very soul of society,” read the verdict which pulled up the CBFC for needlessly terming extremist ideology as communist rather than using ‘extremist, naxalite or maoist.