A RESEARCH REPORT

ON

POLITICAL CONTROL OVER ARTISTIC

FREEDOM IN INDIA ANALYSED WITH
REFERENCE TO KISSA KURSI KA
“It is impossible to be truly artistic without the risk of offending someone somewhere.”
-Wayne Gerard Trotman

A report submitted to Jyoti Nivas College (Autonomous), Bengaluru in Partial fulfilment of the
requirement for the completion in III BA (Communicative English) vocational course for the
academic year 2019-2020.

Submitted by – Soorya Soman M S

Register Number- 17CV037H

Prepared under the guidance and supervision of Fr. Saji Mathew

Department of Communicative English

Jyoti Nivas College (Autonomous)
Bengaluru 56009
 A RESEARCH REPORT
ON

POLITICAL CONTROL OVER ARTISTIC

FREEDOM IN INDIA ANALYSED WITH
REFERENCE TO KISSA KURSI KA
“It is impossible to be truly artistic without the risk of offending someone somewhere.”
-Wayne Gerard Trotman

A report submitted to Jyoti Nivas College (Autonomous), Bengaluru in Partial fulfilment of the
requirement for the completion in III BA (Communicative English) vocational course for the
academic year 2019-2020.

Submitted by – Soorya Soman M S

Register Number- 17CV037H

Prepared under the guidance and supervision of Fr. Saji Mathew

Department of Communicative English

Jyoti Nivas College (Autonomous)
Bengaluru 56009
 DECLARATION

I declare that this research paper entitled “POLITICAL CONTROL OVER ARTISTIC
FREEDOM IN INDIA ANALYSED WITH REFERENCE TO KISSA KURSI KA” is
based on an original study undertaken by me in partial fulfillment of the
requirement for the Bachelor of Degree in Arts (Vocational) of Bangalore
University.

Further, this report has not been previously submitted for the award of any other
degree/ diploma of Bangalore University or any other institute/ University.

Place: Bangalore Soorya Soman M S

Date: 17CV037H
 CERTIFICATE BY THE GUIDE

This is to certify that the research report entitled “POLITICAL CONTROL OVER
ARTISTIC FREEDOM IN INDIA ANALYSED WITH REFERENCE TO KISSA KURSI
KA” is based on an original study undertaken by Soorya Soman M S (17CV037H)

under my guidance and supervision during the year 2019-2020 in partial

fulfilment of the requirement for the award of Bachelor of Degree in
Arts(Vocational) of Jyoti Nivas College(Autonomous)

Further, this report has not been previously submitted for the award of any other
degree/ diploma of Bangalore University or any other institute/ University.
 ACKNOWLEDEMENT

I would like to thank the lecturers of the Department of Communication and

Media, Fr. Saji Mathew and others for their support and guidance throughout the
duration of this project. I would like to thank my friend who helped me in
completing this project.

Date: Soorya Soman M S

17CV037H
A research report on POLITICAL CONTROL OVER ARTISTIC FREEDOM IN
INDIA ANALYSED WITH REFERENCE TO KISSA KURSI KA

Evaluated by:

1. External Examiner:
Name:
Designation:
Institution address:

Signature

2. Internal examiner:
Name:
Designation:
Institution address:

Signature
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

S.NO CONTENTS PG.NO

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 What is Art?

1.2 What is Freedom?

1.3 What is Constitutional freedom in India?

1.5 What is Artistic Freedom?

1.6 What is Satire?

2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE

3 REVIEW OF METHODOLOGY

4 DATA ANALYSIS AND INTEPRETATION

5 FINDINGS

6 CONCLUSION

7 BIBLIOGRAPHY
ABSTRACT

The study was conducted to analyse and understand how and why political control is an
undemocratic move made on artists. The study analyses how artists’ voices are either censored or
completely silenced through various forms such as banning, censorship and law-suits.

Keywords

Artistic Freedom, Political control, Censorship

 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION
 I. INTRODUCTION

Cinema is an artistic expression of ideas, stories and often opinions, sometimes inspired by
reality occasionally set to music, designed to enthrall, enchant, or simply to entertain.2 There are
hardly any other mediums of expression that can actually have insidious influence and presence
in our daily lives. It has been one of the most potent tools of expression since its inception years
back. It has been seen as a medium through which a larger picture of the society is depicted on
the screen. It has been a source of introspection where in it has brought or tended to bring a
positive change in the society.

Satire is a powerful art form which has the ability to point out the deficiencies in certain human
behaviours and the social issues which result from them in such a way that they become absurd,
even hilarious, which is therefore entertaining and reaches a wide audience. Satire also has the
ability to protect its creator from culpability for criticism, because it is implied rather than
overtly stated; in this way, it becomes a powerful tool for dissenters in difficult or oppressive
political and social periods.

One of the most interesting timeframe of post-independent India is the era of emergency imposed
by Indira Gandhi of Congress party between 1975 & 1977. The very fact that the freedom of
press was curtailed during that timeframe makes it the most mysterious era for historians &
sociologists due to the lack of sufficient news items & information.

It was one of the most notorious examples of censorship during the Emergency, one of several
blots in Sanjay Gandhi’s copybook of tyranny, and an oft-quoted case study of how government
apparatus can collude to crush criticism.

Amrit Nahta’s Kissaa Kursee Kaa, a political satire about the Indira Gandhi government, was
made in April 1975 but never released. All existing prints were destroyed on the orders of Vidya
Charan Shukla, the Information and Broadcasting Minister and Sanjay Gandhi at the time.
1.1 What is Art?

Different schools of thoughts have different interpretations yet in common art is understood as
the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form
such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or
emotional power.

Art is something we do, a verb. Art is an expression of our thoughts, emotions, intuitions, and
desires, but it is even more personal than that: it’s about sharing the way we experience the
world, which for many is an extension of personality. It is the communication of intimate
concepts that cannot be faithfully portrayed by words alone. And because words alone are not
enough, we must find some other vehicle to carry our intent. But the content that we instil on or
in our chosen media is not in itself the art. Art is to be found in how the media is used, the way in
which the content is expressed.

What then is beauty? Beauty is much more than cosmetic: it is not about prettiness. There are
plenty of pretty pictures available at the neighbourhood home furnishing store; but these we
might not refer to as beautiful; and it is not difficult to find works of artistic expression that we
might agree are beautiful that are not necessarily pretty. Beauty is rather a measure of affect, a
measure of emotion. In the context of art, beauty is the gauge of successful communication
between participants – the conveyance of a concept between the artist and the perceiver.
Beautiful art is successful in portraying the artist’s most profound intended emotions, the desired
concepts, whether they be pretty and bright, or dark and sinister. But neither the artist nor the
observer can be certain of successful communication in the end. So beauty in art is eternally
subjective.

Works of art may elicit a sense of wonder or cynicism, hope or despair, adoration or spite; the
work of art may be direct or complex, subtle or explicit, intelligible or obscure; and the subjects
and approaches to the creation of art are bounded only by the imagination of the artist. Now a
theme in aesthetics, the study of art, is the claim that there is a detachment or distance between
works of art and the flow of everyday life. Thus, works of art rise like islands from a current of
more pragmatic concerns. When you step out of a river and onto an island, you’ve reached your
destination. Similarly, the aesthetic attitude requires you to treat artistic experience as an end-in-
itself: art asks us to arrive empty of preconceptions and attend to the way in which we experience
the work of art. And although a person can have an ‘aesthetic experience’ of a natural scene,
flavor or texture, art is different in that it is produced. Therefore, art is the intentional
communication of an experience as an end-in-itself. The content of that experience in its cultural
context may determine whether the artwork is popular or ridiculed, significant or trivial, but it is
art either way.

Exclude graphics used in advertising or political propaganda, as they are created as a means to an
end and not for their own sakes. Furthermore, ‘communication’ is not the best word for because
it implies an unwarranted intention about the content represented. Aesthetic responses are often
underdetermined by the artist’s intentions.

1.2 What is Freedom?

Freedom, generally, is having the ability to act or change without constraint. Something is "free"
if it can change easily and is not constrained in its present state. In philosophy and religion, it is
associated with having free will and being without undue or unjust constraints, or enslavement,
and is an idea closely related to the concept of liberty. A person has the freedom to do things that
will not, in theory or in practice, be prevented by other forces. Outside of the human realm,
freedom generally does not have this political or psychological dimension. A rusty lock might be
oiled so that the key has the freedom to turn, undergrowth may be hacked away to give a newly
planted sapling freedom to grow, or a mathematician may study an equation having many
degrees of freedom. In mechanical engineering, "freedom" describes the number of independent
motions that are allowed to a body or system, which is generally referred to as degrees of
freedom.
Freedom is the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint,
and the absence of a despotic government.
1.3 What is Constitutional freedom in India?

Fundamental rights are those rights which are essential for intellectual, moral and spiritual
development of individuals. As these rights are fundamental or essential for existence and all-
round development of individuals, hence called as 'Fundamental' rights. These are enshrined in
Part III (Articles 12 to 35) of the Constitution of India. These include individual rights common
to most liberal democracies, such as equality before the law, freedom of speech and expression,
religious and cultural freedom, peaceful assembly, freedom to practice religion, and the right
to constitutional remedies for the protection of civil rights.

Right to Freedom (Article 19-22)

Article 19

Protection of certain rights regarding freedom of speech etc.-

(1) All citizens shall have the right-

(a) to freedom of speech and expression;

(b) to assemble peaceably and without arms; to form associations or unions;

(d) to move freely throughout the territory of India;

(e) to reside and settle in any part of the territory of India; and

(f) omitted

(g) to practise any profession, or to carry on any occupation, trade or business.

(2) Nothing in sub-clause (a) of clause (1) shall affect the operation of any existing law, or
prevent the State from making any law, in so far as such law imposes reasonable restrictions on
the exercise of the right conferred by the said sub-clause in the interests of the sovereignty and
integrity of India, the security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States, public order,
decency or morality or in relation to contempt of court, defamation or incitement to an offence.
(3) Nothing in sub-clause (b) of the said clause shall affect the operation of any existing law in so
far as it imposes, or prevent the State from making any law imposing, in the interests of the
sovereignty and integrity of India or public order, reasonable restrictions on the exercise of the
right conferred by the said sub-clause.

(4) Nothing in sub-clause of the said clause shall affect the operation of any existing law in so far
as it imposes, or prevent the State from making any law imposing, in the interests of the
sovereignty and integrity of India or public order or morality, reasonable restrictions on the
exercise of the right conferred by the said sub-clause.

(5) Nothing in sub-clauses (d) and (e) of the said clause shall affect the operation of any existing
law in so far as it imposes, or prevent the State from making any law imposing, reasonable
restrictions on the exercise of any of the rights conferred by the said sub-clauses either in the
interests of the general public or for the protection of the interests of any Scheduled Tribe.

(6) Nothing in sub-clause (g) of the said clause shall affect the operation of any existing law in so
far as it imposes, or prevent the State from making any law imposing, in the interests of the
general public, reasonable restrictions on the exercise of the right conferred by the said sub-
clause, and, in particular, nothing in the said sub-clause shall affect the operation of any existing
law in so far as it relates to, or prevent the State from making any law relating to,-

(i) the professional or technical qualifications necessary for practising any profession or carrying
on any occupation, trade or business, or

(ii) the carrying on by the State, or by a corporation owned or controlled by the State, of any
trade, business, industry or service, whether to the exclusion, complete or partial, of citizens or
otherwise.

1.4 Freedom of Expression and Speech in India

Article 19(1) (a) of the Constitution of India states that, “all citizens shall have the right
to freedom of speech and expression”. The philosophy behind this Article lies in the Preamble of
the Constitution, where a solemn resolve is made to secure to all its citizen, liberty of thought
and expression.

The main elements of right to freedom of speech and expression are as under-
1. This right is available only to a citizen of India and not to foreign nationals.

2. The freedom of speech under Article 19(1) (a) includes the right to express one’s views and
opinions at any issue through any medium, e.g. by words of mouth, writing, printing, picture,
film, movie etc.

3. This right is, however, not absolute and it allows Government to frame laws to impose
reasonable restrictions in the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India, security of the state,
friendly relations with foreign states, public order, decency and morality and contempt of court,
defamation and incitement to an offence.

4. This restriction on the freedom of speech of any citizen may be imposed as much by an
action of the State as by its inaction. Thus, failure on the part of the State to guarantee to all its
citizens the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression would also constitute a
violation of Article 19(1)(a).

The Grounds on Which This Freedom Could Be Restricted:

Clause (2) of Article 19 of the Indian constitution imposes certain restrictions on free speech
under following heads:
I.security of the State,
II.friendly relations with foreign States
II public order,
IV. decency and morality,
V. contempt of court,
VI. defamation,
VII. incitement to an offence, and
VIII. sovereignty and integrity of India.

Right to freedom of speech and expression, is an important fundamental right, scope of which,
has been widened to include freedom of press, right to information including commercial
information, right to silence and right to criticize. The said right is however, subjective to
reasonable restrictions under Article 19(2).
1.5 What is Artistic Freedom?

Artistic freedom is the freedom to imagine, create and distribute diverse cultural expressions free
of governmental censorship, political interference or the pressures of non-state actors.
It includes the right of all citizens to have access to these works and is essential for the wellbeing
of societies. The 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural
Expressions puts forward that Artistic freedom embodies the following bundle of rights protected
under international law:

i) the right to create without censorship or intimidation

ii)the right to have artistic work supported, distributed, remunerated

iii) the right to freedom of movement

iv) the right to freedom of association

v) the right to protection of social and economic rights

vi) the right to participate in cultural life

Artistic freedom is a global challenge. The rights of artists to express themselves freely are under
threat worldwide, especially where artistic expressions contest or critique political ideologies,
religious beliefs and cultural and social preferences. These threats range from censorship (by
corporations, political, religious or other groups) to imprisonment, physical threats, and even
killings.

The organization Freemuse, the world leader in advocating freedom of expression for musicians,
has issued their annual report: ART UNDER THREAT IN 2016: PRESENTING THE
FIGURES.
Freemuse registered 1,028 attacks on artists and violations of artists' rights across 78 countries,
revealing a trend of artistic freedom increasingly coming under threat.

The number of cases registered in 2016 more than doubled the amount registered in 2015, an
increase of 119%, which translates to an extra 469 attacks.
Freemuse divides attacks on artistic freedom into “serious violations” – which include killings,
abductions, attacks, imprisonments, prosecutions and persecutions/threats – and acts of
censorship. Acts of censorship are also serious concerns, but separating them from the rest helps
to distinguish the nuanced global picture of the artistic freedom. In essence, it highlights the
difference between an attack, for example, involving a banned piece of art, from another attack
in which an artist’s life or family were endangered.

Of the more than one thousand cases registered in 2016, Freemuse documented 188 serious
violations of artistic freedom and 840 acts of censorship.

The increase in the number of cases can partially be explained by the fact that Freemuse,
alongside its partners, has continued to improve its documentation methods and increasingly
receives more information through its expanding and strengthening network. Additionally, the
issue of artistic freedom, especially in a year of rising populism and nationalistic views in many
countries, continues to gain attention. This has resulted in more individuals, groups and
organisations reporting on incidents when artists are being silenced.

However, despite the increase in attention and the refinement of methodology, artistic freedom
violations in many countries continue to be under-reported due to a variety of factors, including
lack of public awareness, capacity and political will.

According to the report, 2016 saw incidents of violent militants and even peaceful civil society
groups targeting artists and audiences with very different means, but with the same goal of
stifling artistic expression. There were several cases of women, as well as LGBT artists, being
discriminated, and even cases where artist syndicates and unions played the role of censor. The
conflicts between Russia and Ukraine, and India and Pakistan, also showed that when two
neighbouring countries fight over a contested region, cultural exchange can suffer greatly.
Additionally, 2016 was a year with a number of cases of governments, specifically the
governments of China and Turkey, attempting to censor and prosecute artists and art outside
their own borders.
1.6 What is a Satire?

Satire is a genre of literature and performing arts, in which vices, follies, abuses, and
shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, corporations,
government, or society itself into improvement. Although satire is usually meant to be humorous,
its greater purpose is often constructive social criticism, using wit to draw attention to both
particular and wider issues in society. A feature of satire is strong irony or sarcasm—"in satire,
irony is militant" but parody, burlesque, exaggeration, juxtaposition, comparison, analogy,
and double entendre are all frequently used in satirical speech and writing. This "militant" irony
or sarcasm often professes to approve of (or at least accept as natural) the very things the satirist
wishes to attack.

Satire is nowadays found in many artistic forms of expression, including internet memes,
literature, plays, commentary, television shows, and media such as lyrics.
 CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF LITERATURE
 2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE

 According to (Aditya Kumar Panda - Scholedge International Journal of Business Policy &
Governance : Issue 02 (2017) - CASE STUDY: FILM CENSORSHIP IN INDIA), Censorship is a
control of an authority over its subjects. An authority is always political and it prescribes various
norms for its subjects to rule them in a desired designed way. Although an authority is made of
the people under it, the authority is an artificial construct in a civilization. This is why the norms
can be challenged. What is censored today may not be censored tomorrow. The way the films are
censored in India witnesses the continuity of the traditionally followed norms in India and
reinforces the same. Norms may not necessarily be static, they may change in time. The reality is
always ahead with the prescribed norms which may result in modifying the same under an
authority. Exhibiting homosexual relationship through a film in India goes against the prescribed
norms at present, but the same norm will be changed in a time when it will be a realized reality.

 According to (Vijay G - A STUDY ON BANS AND CENSORSHIP ISSUES IN INDIAN CINEMA

– 2017),
The very existence of law is to protect the interests of people. But in such unjustifiable situations
the freedom of speech and expression is supressed. The freedom is granted to ensure that citizens
do have the right to speak out their views freely unless it does have a grave impact on other
fellow citizens or damages the country as such.But when such unfair bans being used to contain
them it would only mean the end of the freedom of speech and expression. So when the “law”
itself which is given the fundamental responsibility of protecting the rights restricts fair usage of
such right people begin lose their faith in the law.Besides having the Cinematographic Act, 1952
the Union Government has jurisdiction inaccordance with Entry 60 of Union list in matters of
sanctioning films for exhibition. Certain states governments enjoy further extended jurisdiction
using Entry 33 of the State List and have framed their own state laws to accommodate any other
“half-baked” reasons to impose a ban which maybe beyond the scope of the 1952 Act.

 According to (Mr. Satyam Rathore - CRITICAL OVERVIEW OF CENSORSHIP IN INDIAN

CINEMA IN THE LIGHT OF ROLE OF CBFC - 2016), Cinema being an important instrument
 of expression of ideas and free thoughts must remain unrestricted from any kind of censorship.
Restriction of any kind must not infringe upon the basic human right of expressing one’s view in
the community of civilized societies. However at the same time one must keep in mind the
practical realities of the society in which such ideas are broadcasted. The peace and security of
the society should not be disturbed in the process of expression of one’s thoughts. Since cinema
as a public expression can influence the society at large, caution must be taken while exhibiting
the film to avoid any kind of chaos and threat to national security. Henceforth, a balance must be
maintained between the right of expression and the duty to maintain peace in the society. The
Certification Board must take a balanced approach while reviewing a film and must take into
account that the harmony between freedom of expression and sense of security and peace in the
society is maintained.

 According to ( Amandeep Singh- POLITICS OF CENSORSHIP - 2017), India has a long history of
film makers fighting extra-legal censorship as a routine matter. Many a times, since
independence, film makers have borne the brunt of extra – legal censorship when their films
were banned, censored or challenged for not conforming to the religious, political or moral codes
of their day. From state-sponsored censorship to pressure from religious extremists or simply
society’s belief in certain types of unacceptable behavior, the stifling of cinematic expression has
gone on for as long as information has been shared between people.
The ideal of freedom of expression is strongly linked to human rights and democracy. Incidents
of confrontation between film makers and censor board in the recent years have shown that
human desire for intellectual freedom exists as passionately as governments' desire to restrict it.
 CHAPTER 3
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
 3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Political control hinders an artist’s freedom and how it affects their work as well how political
control restricts the artists’ voices.
3.2 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

 To analyse how and why political motives initiates censorship of certain cinemas.
 To analyse how censoring of cinemas on the basis of political propagandas affects the
society
3.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. How Kissa Kursi Ka served as a satirical film?

2. How did the movie get banned by the ruling political party?
3. How did the ban affect the artists?
3.4 RESEARCH DESIGN

The research study is done in the form of qualitative study. The film was watched and the
reviews of the film was analysed. The political background/history post-ban and pre-ban was
analysed.
3.5 THEORY USED TO ANAYLSE

Active-Audience Theory

The theory states that the media audience is not a passive and inactive mass and they actively
take part in understanding the film with the basis of its underlying meaning. The audience
unconsciously decodes all the hidden and underlying meanings that are present in the message
the media gives out.

Here the audience was able to draw the underlying meaning portrayed in Kissa Kursi Ka. They
were able to draw comparisons to the reel-life characters and the real-life political scenario. The
audience was able to draw comparisons to the various characters of the film to real life political
characters.
 CHAPTER 4
DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
 4. DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

Amrit Nahta’s” Kissaa Kursee Kaa”, a political satire about the Indira Gandhi government, was
made in April 1975 but never released. All existing prints were destroyed on the orders of Vidya
Charan Shukla, the Information and Broadcasting Minister at the time and Sanjay Gandhi crony.
Nahta, a Congressman who joined the Janata Party after the Emergency, remade the movie and
released it in 1978, retaining the same script and most of the cast. “Kissa Kursi Ka” produced in
1977, which in spite of being presented as a parody was actually a true reflection of the events
during emergency. The movie had infuriated Sanjay to such an extent that he actually destroyed
several reels of the movie when it was still in editing stage in the studio. (After the reels were
burnt, the move was re-shot).

Kissaa Kursee Kaa depicts the ruling political class as an amoral, corrupt, power-hungry and
debased lot. The movie has barely disguised references to the Maruti Udyog car manufacturing
company set up by Sanjay Gandhi, his good friend Rukhsana Sultan, Indira Gandhi’s all-
powerful secretary RK Dhawan, and controversial godman Dhirendra Brahmachari. Manohar
Singh plays Gangaram, a political amateur who starts spouting revolutionary slogans after
swigging a “netagiri” tonic and is installed as the nation’s ruler by the scheming Meera Devi,
played by Surekha Sikri. Gangaram initially blunders though his job – he identifies the nation’s
biggest problem as an infestation of rats and insists on importing cats at a massive cost – but
soon cultivates a taste for power and politics. Utpal Dutt plays the degenerate godman, while
Shabana Azmi is the mute “Janata” who represents the suffering and exploited people of India.

Indira Gandhi’s resounding defeat in the general elections in March 1977 following the lifting of
the Emergency cleared the path for a new Janata Party-led coalition government and for Amrit
Nahta to release a second version. After the Emergency, the Supreme Court sentenced Sanjay
Gandhi to a month in prison for destroying the prints.However, even the remade Kissaa Kursee
Kaa wasn’t safe from the scissors of the Central Board of Film Certification. The original film
invited 51 cuts, but even a friendly government could not prevent the triangle that indicates when
a movie has been snipped from appearing on the censor certificate.
Story Synopsis

Presidential elections are soon to be held in Jan Gan, and the two main political parties are
headed by Bhikharimal and Garibdas, who are contesting under their respective symbols of a
cycle and horse.

A foreign educated female, Meera, and her boyfriend, Gopal, decide to field their very own
candidate. They chose a poor male, Gangaram, who is employed on a meager wage of Two
Rupees a day with his employer, who sells fake herbs and medicines, including one called
'Sanjay Sanjeevni'. The duo then bribe the two main contestants in order to force them to
withdraw their names from the election, thus ensuring an easy win for Gangaram, who goes on to
become the President-elect, after successfully wooing a naive and dumb poor woman named
Janta (Public).

On his very first day, Gangaram learns from his Kursee (Chair) that it is more practical for him
to obey it's 8 commands, and he does so quite religiously. His Presidential Assistant, Deshpal,
recruits a busty Private Secretary, Ruby Dixsana, for Gangaram's nightly pleasure. On the issue
of poverty, he decides that mice and rats eat food grains, and are, therefore responsible for this
problem, so he instructs the Government to pay a reward of Ten Rupees for every dead mouse.
Corrupt Government employees instead accept a One Rupee bribe in lieu of a dead mouse, and
pay huge sums to the public. When Janta kills five mice, she becomes the only one to present
physical evidence, and is ridiculed and given the run-around by officials. When she approaches
Gangaram, he refuses to discuss this issue with her. When Bhajneesh launches a protest over the
alleged killing of mice, as they are linked to Bhagwan Shri Ganesh, Gangaram meets with him,
presents him with a solid gold 400 kilo mouse, and assures him that the rodents will not be
killed, and those caught killing them will be arrested.

Unaware of the changed circumstances, and still demanding compensation, Janta is arrested by
the Police for killing five mice. Gangaram then makes a deal with a Caucasian male named
Double Dealer - which involves fictitious export and import of dogs and cats. When pressure
mounts on him to address issues such as removal of poverty, he enlists the assistance of
Bhajneesh, who, for a huge fee, recruits several hundred employees to destroy shanty huts, and
build multi-storeyed buildings. When corruption increases tenfold, and pressure mounts on him
again, Gangaram decides to blame everything on external forces, especially Jan Gan's
neighboring country, Andher Nagri.

He visits it's emperor, and after some discussions, both verbally agree that in order to distract
their respective electorate, it would be in both their interests to wage war on each other. In this
way, both countries go to war.
When Gopal protests and conspires to overthrow Gangaram, Deshpal kills him, and calls it a
suicide. But not before Gopal finds out that no one in Parliament really wants to address burning
issues as poverty, hunger, housing, employment, and corruption. Bhikharimal then approaches
the Courts to declare Gangaram's election null and void. As soon as the Court issues the verdict
against him, Gangaram declares an Emergency, has all opposition members arrested, and curbs
the freedom of the media and the Courts. When Meera opposes him, he kills her, and is now all
set to declare himself the permanent President of this beleaguered nation.
CHAPTER 6
FINDINGS
 6. FINDINGS

Finding 1

Censoring does not make a huge difference it just spoils the movie watching experience -
Audiences of “A” Rated film watch these films knowing the violence or the explicit content it
would offer, they would obviously expect such stuff and as adults understand that cinema and
reality are far apart. Hollywood works in the same way and does not censor these scenes unless it
proves to be too much.

Finding 2

Bans are sometimes used as a political weapon by governments -

When bans are imposed by governments they are either used to display their political upper hand
or just as an effort to please a section of objectors. In a rare case of real law and order problem
arising where the state is unable to neither hold talks nor control the parties the government
could then take the issue in its hands and impose a ban if necessary.
CHAPTER 6
CONCLUSION
 6. CONCLUSION

The above mentioned incidents mirror the dictatorial and discretionary nature of the authorities,
vested interests of political parties and their endeavours to unnecessary curtail the freedom of
expression through films which they cannot digest. Unfortunately, in India to exercise their
constitutional right to expression, the filmmakers have to depend either upon the fantasies of
anti-democratic forces or to fight delayed legal battles with lots of unpredictability. Accordingly,
it can be pertinently concluded that if democracy has to advance, the screening of films should
never be denied for reasons based on mere speculation because such banning amounts to banning
the Constitutional right of freedom of speech and expression. It is high time that we wake up to
the different manifestations of political manipulation of film censorship in India. The political
parties must understand that public in India today is mature enough to handle truth and fiction,
understanding the difference between the two. Cinema must be a part of the lives of all of us. It
must belong to the masses of our people as well as the few.
 CHAPTER 7
BIBLIOGRAPHY
 7. BIBLIOGRAPHY

 https://philosophynow.org/issues/108/What_is_Art_and_or_What_is_Beauty

 https://freedomhouse.org › report › freedom-world › india

 http://www.legalserviceindia.com/legal/article-572-constitution-of-india-freedom-of-speech-
and-expression.html

 https://en.unesco.org/creativity/sites/creativity/files/artistic_freedom_pdf_web.pdf

 http://hdl.handle.net/10603/186551
 http://www.acadpubl.eu/hub/