[Reader-list] Anand Patwardhan's War and Peace on DD National on Sunday morning 10.30, 15th October

[Moslem Ali Quraishy]

Press   Release
    Anand   Patwardhan's War and   Peace
    on   DD National on Sunday morning 10.30, 15th October


    It never rains, it pours!  Fast on the heels of Father,   Son and Holy
War     \
which Doordarshan (DD) telecast last Sunday morning, DD   National is set
to     \
telecast Anand's anti-nuclear documentary War and Peace   on Sunday, 15th  
  \
October at 10.30 AM

    While Father, Son and Holy War took 11 years in court, War and   Peace
has     \
had its own share of legal and extra legal battles.

    A chronology of   events


    1. In February 2002 "War and Peace" a   163 minute anti-nuclear
documentary     \
won the Best Film/Video award at the Mumbai   International Film Festival.

    2. A few months later the Central Board of Film   Certification under
the     \
obvious influence of the ruling BJP, refused to grant   the film a
certificate     \
unless 21 cuts were made.

    3. After a long appeals procedure, the matter   finally went to court.
In     \
April 2003 the Bombay High Court ruled that the film   be granted a "U"     \
certificate without a single cut.

4. Ironically, in   2004, the same film won a National award for the Best  
  \
Non-feature film. It was   then submitted for telecast on Doordarshan. On
five     \
previous occasions the   courts have ordered Doordarshan to show Anand's   
 \
national award winning films.

    5. The heads of Doordarshan and Prasar Bharati   agreed to telecast if 
   \
certain sequences were removed from the film. Anand   refused and a long
battle     \
of attrition followed.

    6. With Anand threatening to return his   National award and go to
court     \
once again, DD agreed in writing to telecast the   film but attempted to
set     \
the time slot at 11.30 PM on a Sunday night. Anand   countered that as his
film     \
was long and would end only after 2.15 AM, this would   constitute
"censorship     \
by sleep".

    7. Finally in November 2005 DD agreed in   writing to telecast the
entire     \
film at 10.30 PM on two successive Sundays.   Almost a year then passed
with DD     \
refusing to set the actual dates of   telecast.

    8. In April 2004 DD dropped a bombshell by   going back on its
commitment     \
to telecast the entire film and formally asking for   cuts. Anand refused
this     \
and the matter went into limbo.

    9. On August 25 the Supreme Court passed a   landmark judgement
criticizing     \
DD and Prasar Bharati for forcing Anand to   go to court for the telecast
of     \
each of his National Award winning films and   ordering the telecast of the
    \
uncut Father, Son and Holy War.

    10. On 8th of October DD complied with the order. This coming Sunday  
they     \
will go a step further and show War and Peace, for once without   being
forced     \
to do so by court.