Censor Board can't think straight

The director of I Can't Think Straight, a movie on LGBTs, is furious about the 'A' certification

The director of I Can't Think Straight, a movie on LGBTs, is furious about the 'A' certification

London director Shamim Sarif's I Can't Think Straight hits screens September 11, around two years after its first theatrical release. However, even as special screenings are planned and LGBT groups rejoice at a movie with 'positive portrayals', Sarif is less than happy with the censor board.

A still from I Can't Think Straight

Speaking about the movie on her blog, Sarif said, "First up, it's been rated 'A' - I was thrilled, as everyone likes to get an 'A' grade for their creative genius - but Hanan [the producer] quickly explained it was for 'Adults Only'. Within a moment, I went from feeling like the new Scorsese to feeling like I'd inadvertently made a porn film."

Chopped
A lovemaking scene between the movie's two protagonists, played by Lisa Ray and Sheetal Sheth, has also been cut. "They chopped my tasteful sex scene, yes, the second one apparently, to smithereensu00e2u0080u00a6 Reader, they did. Well, I can hear you all gasping from here. Which is just as well, as we certainly won't be hearing Lisa or Sheetal panting over there."

Responding to an email query, Sarif said she was disappointed. "I don't think there's a director in the world who would be happy to see their vision cut without their blessing, or for reasons of censorship. Particularly, since the movie's highest rating anywhere else in the world has been '12' which means that anyone of that age is able to see it. The scenes are sensual and important in conveying the love and passion between these two characters."

Vinayak Azad, the regional officer for the Censor Board, however, said that only part of the scene had been cut. "The cut in no way interferes with the plot of the movie. The scene was just very lengthy and therefore it's been shortened. There is no bias towards any community here. But yes, the subject of the film has warranted an 'A' certification," he said.

Positive portrayal
Meanwhile, LGBT groups in the city are excited about the release, given it's positive portrayal of homosexuals. A lesbian viewer at the special screening of the movie held last Saturday said that the movie would do a lot for LGBT rights. "That apart, both women look gorgeous," she said.

Added activist and publisher of Bombay Dost, Nitin Karani, "It shows the community in the proper light and gives the sense that there's nothing unnatural about this. Films do have a large influence and while some reinforce stereotypes, movies like these break that mould."

Writer and director Shamim Sarif speaks to MiD DAY about her controversial movie I Can't Think Straight that will hit theatres on September 11.

Shamim Sarif

Your movie I Can't Think Straight was made in 2007 but is being released now in India. Why the delay?
We had a bad experience with our first investor on the film, and after we finished shooting, the process collapsed. We had to pursue him through the British courts, which my partner Hanan (also the producer of the film and of The World Unseen) was very diligent about doing. It took 18 months to get the film back, and luckily I had always kept the rights to the script and story. So then we went into post production and wanted to then find the right distributors who would understand and support the film. All of that takes a certain amount of time, and we opened in the US and Canada last November, and in the UK and Europe this past spring and summer. The film was completed in summer 2008

Your most recent post on your blog said that you were unhappy with the cuts the Censor Board made in the movie. What were these in particular and how important were these scenes to the movie?
From what I have been told, the censor board rated the film A and also cut 50% of one of the love scenes. I don't think there is a director in the world who would be happy to see their vision cut without their blessing, or for reasons of censorship. Particularly since the movie's highest rating anywhere else in the world has been 12 which means that anyone of that age is able to see it. The scenes are sensual and important in conveying the love and passion between these two characters. There is no nudity and the scenes are tasteful in the sense that they are there to give a feeling that these two women are truly in love with each other and they are part of a movie that is a romantic comedy so they really are romantic and sensual. They are not gratuitous in any way.

Your movie is being talked of with great interest among LGBT groups in Mumbai and across the country as well. Are you excited about its release in the city given a recent landmark judgement by the Delhi High Court that decriminalized homosexuality?
Yes, I am very happy the movie is releasing in India, as I think the more positive images of homosexuality that people see, the less it will remain an abstract thing to be feared. What all audiences have found with I Can't Think Straight is that they care about the characters of Tala and Leyla and they begin to feel that it is right that they are together. And that is a great thing u00e2u0080u0093 to look at it as a love story where one evaluates whether the characters of the women are right for each other, not gender or colour or anything else. And to their credit, that was how both Lisa Ray and Sheetal Sheth approached the script. I didn't have a conversation with either actress about the fact that it was a gay love story, just about the story itself.

A fictional Bollywood movie called 'Girlfriend' that featured a lesbian protagonist sparked off much protest in India. Are you apprehensive that your movie might receive the same treatment?
I am rarely apprehensive about such things as they are a little outside of my control, and these kinds of protests say more about the people protesting than the movie involved. I truly hope that people who's instinct is to dismiss the film or protest it, will take a breath, see the movie and try to allow that different people can have different realities. Judging people on the basis of sexuality, race or religion is a losing battle, in my opinion. Let's put more energy into being honest, kind human beings with integrity, whatever our sexual preference or colour.

How important was it for you personally to make this movie given the unconventional nature of the subject? What were the challenges you and your producer faced during the making and also during the distribution?
The movie has elements of autobiography so that gave it a special meaning u00e2u0080u0093 but it was important to make because of the subject matter. And by that I don't mean a love story between two women, I mean the core theme of the movie which is integrity. Having the courage to do what you know to be right even when it means challenging the conventions you've been brought up in. This is an important theme for me and that's why making I Can't Think Straight (and also The World Unseen) meant a lot to me and to Hanan. The unconventional part of the film was never an issue in our minds. Initially we had problems casting because the British Arab and Indian actresses I had in mind were not willing to do the love scenes as they were worried about their families and so on. But that worked out for the best as it meant we had to look internationally and found Lisa Ray and then Sheetal Sheth and neither of them had any issue with playing a lesbian. They loved the script and the characters' journey and, as true actors, that was all that mattered to them.

The movie
Tala (Lisa Ray), a London-based Palestinian is preparing to get married when she meets Leyla (Sheetal Sheth), a British Indian woman dating her best friend. They fall in love, but faced by difficulties, Tala returns to Jordan to get married and Leyla moves on with her new life, to the shock of her traditional parents. As Tala's wedding day approaches, tensions increase.