Raanjhanna Gets Banned In Pakistan

This never-ending tug-of-war between the censor and directors has again come to rise in Bollywood. Raanjhanna, which is based in Banaras(UP) and talks about a Hindu Brahmin boy falling in love with a Muslim girl. The film doesn't intend to harm any religion or ritual of any religion. However, things have turned bad for the filmmaker Aanand Rai.

Director Aanand L Rai seems baffled by the turn of events.

"Until this ban in our neighbouring country, I never even thought of Raanjhanaa as a Hindu-Muslim love story. While writing the script, while shooting the scenes and editing them, all of us looked at Kundan and Zoya in every colour except saffron or green. Yes, they are Hindu and Muslim. But nowhere does their religious divide come in the way of their equation. When neither Kundan nor Zoya nor I have a problem with their religious background why would anyone else feel inconvenienced? This ban is just a reflex action clamping down on anything that suggests an inter-religious relationship." 

Directors make films for entertainment and also to clear the basic concepts of an individual. They are not meant to hurt the sentiments of any particular society. Through his film also, Aanand has depicted what he feels for this.

"It's extremely narrow-minded to slot people in love according to their religious breeding. Nowhere in Raanjhanaa have we stressed this difference or stressed about it. In fact Kundan jokes with Zoya that if her problem with accepting him is religious then he's willing to convert to Islam. Zoya's parents too have no problem with Kundan's Hindu identity. They object to his vagabondism, not his religion." 

"I am presuming they (Pakistanis) would have no objection if Kundan was a Muslim. But sorry, I didn't write my script to appease religious sentiments. I am ecstatic my film has been embraced wholeheartedly in my home country. Beyond our borders would have been a bonus. But I am not bothered." 

Apart from Aanand Rai, many other filmmakers are disappointed and crestfallen  by this decision and hence share their opinions.

Mahesh Bhatt says,

"A filmmaker should make what he believes in, irrespective of the consequences. In any case, Pakistan is a very small market for our films. Why should we let the censor code of another nation rein us in? Unfortunately religious biases continue to weigh filmmakers down. That's exactly why we must go ahead and do what we believe in and be ready to face the backlash." 

Shoojit Sircar also speaks about this.

"Such alliances and relationships occur in our society all the time. Banning a film won't change the truth. Raanjhanaa actually celebrates love. And every country should celebrate the film without prejudice."

Raanjhanna has recently crossed 100 Cr mark in Box-Office Collections and is coming out to be an epic love story.

Under the banners Eros International, the film stars Sonam Kapoor, Abhay Deol and Dhanush in the lead roles.