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Like any self-respecting Bollywood cinephile, Tenzin Jigdal was excited about the new Hindi movie Rockstar, which was scored by one of his favorite music directors, A. R. Rahman of Slumdog Millionaire fame. When the crew came to his hometown of Dharamsala to film a portion of the flick last November, he was among those who raced to catch a glimpse of the shoot at a Tibetan arts and culture center.
Dharamsala, a sleepy Indian town nestled in the Himalayan foothills that hosts the exiled Tibetan government, was getting a shot of mainstream Bollywood glamour, Mr. Jigdal and other residents thought. We were happy being part of it, said Mr. Jigdal, 29. Bollywood is very popular in the Tibetan community not just in India but in Tibet itself.
But in recent weeks, Mr. Jigdal and Bollywoods other Tibetan fans grew bitterly disappointed after learning from early media reports that the creators of Rockstar, succumbing to Indian censors, opted to blur the Tibetan flag. Although there was much confusion about what exactly got censored, moviegoers who watched the film after its release on Friday said the flag remained untouched, but a Free Tibet banner was blurred in the film.
Mr. Jigdal, who is the program director of the Students for a Free Tibet, India, hoped the film would show the struggle of his community, even in token shots, represented on the big screen. Chinas government claims Tibet is an integral part of China, while Tibetan leaders argue for greater autonomy. India has welcomed Tibetans who fled Chinese rule, including the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. An estimated 120,000 Tibetans now live in India.
After learning of the censorship, Mr. Jigdal and a friend, Dorjee Tseten, 28, the national director of Students for a Free Tibet, decided to head to the city of Bollywood industry itself, Mumbai, to express their disappointment. They hoped to speak to the director and the Censor Board, which reviews every commercial film released in the country and was reported to have mandated the cuts to pass the film with a less restrictive certification.
In a country, which has the values of liberty and freedom, were here to express our disappointment about the censorship, said Mr. Jigdal, speaking from Mumbai, noting he has the support of Indians who value their democratic freedoms.
Although Mr. Jigdal didnt get a chance to meet the Censor Board, Tibetan friends who did said the Censor Board chief claimed to have merely questioned the relevance of the shots, after which the director volunteered to censor it.
Pankaja Thakur, the chief executive officer of the Central Board of Film Certification, was not immediately available to comment to India Ink.
The films censorship comes at a crucial time. There has been a recent wave of self-immolations in southwestern China, which the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama attributed to desperation because Tibetans faced cultural genocide under Chinese rule. At least five monks and two nuns have died this year after setting themselves on fire.
Mr. Jigdal thought it was important to highlight the plight of Tibetans in this context. Being Tibetans in exile, were here for a purpose, he said.
The controversy also highlights Indias often circumscribed right to freedom of expression. In August, a Bollywood film on affirmative action was banned in three states from opening on schedule, not by the Censor Board but by politicians who said the films content would ignite a civil order problem. Earlier this year, a book about Indias founding father, Mohandas K. Gandhi, was also banned in an Indian state because of claims that the book, written by a former executive editor of The New York Times, portrayed Mr. Gandhi as bisexual.
Tibetans say the latest controversy is about more than just freedom of expression for the Tibetan community in exile. For our Indian brothers and sisters its a matter of free speech, for Tibetans its a matter of survival, Mr. Tseten said.
The films director, Imtiaz Ali, is reported to have told a news channel that he didnt see anything controversial in either the intention or portrayal of the song where the Free Tibet banner is blurred.
A spokesperson for the film declined to comment to India Ink.
On Friday, the day the film released, Mr. Jigdal and Mr. Tseten, along with a group of supporters, wore Tibetan flags at a mall in Andheri, a Mumbai suburb, where the film was playing and distributed leaflets to curious moviegoers.
Mr. Tsetsen, who spoke on the phone from Mumbai, said people were receptive and sympathetic to their cause. This censorship is not reflective of peoples support for Tibets cause, he said. The Facebook page of Students for a Free Tibet India, which includes pictures of their group outside the movie theater, has 2,493 likes at the last count.
The duo then stepped in to watch the film. They said they were moved to see Tibetan flags in the background, but were disappointed to note that the Free Tibet banner remained blurred.
For 52 years, we never had a chance to have our Free Tibet banner in a mainstream Bollywood film. That opportunity, due to the censorship, we have lost, Mr. Tseten said. He said he hopes that the blurring of the banner raises questions and draws attention to the Tibetan crisis.
It hasnt stopped their friends in Dharamsala, a town which lacks multiplexes, from pumping their cars with petrol to head to the city of Pathankot, in a neighboring state in order to watch the film.
What was Bollywood aficionado Mr. Jigdals analysis of Rockstar sans the Tibetan issue?
It was a little long, he said with a laugh, but then went on to gush: Fantastic performance by Ranbir (Kapoor). I liked the look of the film. The songs are powerful.
Bollywood's 'Rockstar' Disappoints Tibetans - NYTimes.com
Dharamsala, a sleepy Indian town nestled in the Himalayan foothills that hosts the exiled Tibetan government, was getting a shot of mainstream Bollywood glamour, Mr. Jigdal and other residents thought. We were happy being part of it, said Mr. Jigdal, 29. Bollywood is very popular in the Tibetan community not just in India but in Tibet itself.
But in recent weeks, Mr. Jigdal and Bollywoods other Tibetan fans grew bitterly disappointed after learning from early media reports that the creators of Rockstar, succumbing to Indian censors, opted to blur the Tibetan flag. Although there was much confusion about what exactly got censored, moviegoers who watched the film after its release on Friday said the flag remained untouched, but a Free Tibet banner was blurred in the film.
Mr. Jigdal, who is the program director of the Students for a Free Tibet, India, hoped the film would show the struggle of his community, even in token shots, represented on the big screen. Chinas government claims Tibet is an integral part of China, while Tibetan leaders argue for greater autonomy. India has welcomed Tibetans who fled Chinese rule, including the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. An estimated 120,000 Tibetans now live in India.
After learning of the censorship, Mr. Jigdal and a friend, Dorjee Tseten, 28, the national director of Students for a Free Tibet, decided to head to the city of Bollywood industry itself, Mumbai, to express their disappointment. They hoped to speak to the director and the Censor Board, which reviews every commercial film released in the country and was reported to have mandated the cuts to pass the film with a less restrictive certification.
In a country, which has the values of liberty and freedom, were here to express our disappointment about the censorship, said Mr. Jigdal, speaking from Mumbai, noting he has the support of Indians who value their democratic freedoms.
Although Mr. Jigdal didnt get a chance to meet the Censor Board, Tibetan friends who did said the Censor Board chief claimed to have merely questioned the relevance of the shots, after which the director volunteered to censor it.
Pankaja Thakur, the chief executive officer of the Central Board of Film Certification, was not immediately available to comment to India Ink.
The films censorship comes at a crucial time. There has been a recent wave of self-immolations in southwestern China, which the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama attributed to desperation because Tibetans faced cultural genocide under Chinese rule. At least five monks and two nuns have died this year after setting themselves on fire.
Mr. Jigdal thought it was important to highlight the plight of Tibetans in this context. Being Tibetans in exile, were here for a purpose, he said.
The controversy also highlights Indias often circumscribed right to freedom of expression. In August, a Bollywood film on affirmative action was banned in three states from opening on schedule, not by the Censor Board but by politicians who said the films content would ignite a civil order problem. Earlier this year, a book about Indias founding father, Mohandas K. Gandhi, was also banned in an Indian state because of claims that the book, written by a former executive editor of The New York Times, portrayed Mr. Gandhi as bisexual.
Tibetans say the latest controversy is about more than just freedom of expression for the Tibetan community in exile. For our Indian brothers and sisters its a matter of free speech, for Tibetans its a matter of survival, Mr. Tseten said.
The films director, Imtiaz Ali, is reported to have told a news channel that he didnt see anything controversial in either the intention or portrayal of the song where the Free Tibet banner is blurred.
A spokesperson for the film declined to comment to India Ink.
On Friday, the day the film released, Mr. Jigdal and Mr. Tseten, along with a group of supporters, wore Tibetan flags at a mall in Andheri, a Mumbai suburb, where the film was playing and distributed leaflets to curious moviegoers.
Mr. Tsetsen, who spoke on the phone from Mumbai, said people were receptive and sympathetic to their cause. This censorship is not reflective of peoples support for Tibets cause, he said. The Facebook page of Students for a Free Tibet India, which includes pictures of their group outside the movie theater, has 2,493 likes at the last count.
The duo then stepped in to watch the film. They said they were moved to see Tibetan flags in the background, but were disappointed to note that the Free Tibet banner remained blurred.
For 52 years, we never had a chance to have our Free Tibet banner in a mainstream Bollywood film. That opportunity, due to the censorship, we have lost, Mr. Tseten said. He said he hopes that the blurring of the banner raises questions and draws attention to the Tibetan crisis.
It hasnt stopped their friends in Dharamsala, a town which lacks multiplexes, from pumping their cars with petrol to head to the city of Pathankot, in a neighboring state in order to watch the film.
What was Bollywood aficionado Mr. Jigdals analysis of Rockstar sans the Tibetan issue?
It was a little long, he said with a laugh, but then went on to gush: Fantastic performance by Ranbir (Kapoor). I liked the look of the film. The songs are powerful.
Bollywood's 'Rockstar' Disappoints Tibetans - NYTimes.com
