On Thursday (June 23), news broke that Kolkata film theatre Nandan has refused to screen Amitabh Chakraborty's film Cosmic Sex even though the film has been cleared for release by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). Soon after, filmmakers from Bengal and elsewhere spoke out against the draconian patronising by the Nandan authorities.
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Mahesh Bhatt, who was actively involved in protesting during the Udta Punjab controversy, has been the first Bollywood personality to comment on the issue. In an interview to Times of India, Bhatt said, "I call this the tyranny of the tastemakers. These self-appointed custodians of culture are fascists who masquerade as artists. It's high time their bluff is called."
After the screening was refused, Chakraborty, best known for the cult film Kaal Abhirati said, "There was a great furore around censorship of Udta Punjab. It's easy to take a stand on freedom of expression when it's far away. This is happening in our own backyard and I am waiting to see how many film-makers here speak out in protest."