Much soch vichar over Aadhaar

A still from the film

Almost a year since the scheduled release of Aadhaar was pushed, the film has yet to see the light of day. The Vineet Kumar Singh-starrer was cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification in 2019 and premiered at the Busan International Film Festival the same year. But the satire faced a major roadblock, thanks to the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), and film's producers Jio Studios and Drishyam Films.

The movie is centred on Singh's character, who after becoming the first person in his village to enrol for the Aadhaar card, finds out from a priest that the serial number on it will cause his wife's death. He then tries to get his Aadhaar number changed. Though the film was cleared by the CBFC, save for a few expletives, the team held off its release due to the pandemic. But, in January 2021, the makers were issued a notice by the UIDAI, the statutory body managing the Aadhaar card programme, stating that the film can't be released on grounds of copyright violation, as the makers had allegedly not procured permission to use the Aadhaar logo.

Suman Ghosh

When we called director Suman Ghosh, who is also a professor of development economics at Florida Atlantic University, there was both hope and dejection in his voice. "The whole thing is illegal, to begin with. It was a censored film that was pulled down a week before release. I was informed [through online articles] that [the UIDAI stated that] if the film carries a disclaimer saying that the government doesn't endorse the film, then it could be released."

I was also told my producers haven't taken the permission to use the Aadhaar logo. Even if that was the problem, they [the UIDAI] had given a statement that with a disclaimer, it could still be released," he stated.

A still from the film

In July 2021, in the filmmakers' efforts to have their labour of love released, they arranged a special screening for members of the UIDAI, who suggested 28 cuts. Ghosh hasn't yet received a formal copy of the cuts from the producers or the UIDAI. The director said, "I have been waiting for the producers to allow me a discussion with the UIDAI. I have been coaxing them to get the final NOC from the UIDAI."

Releasing the film since has been a nightmarish experience for Ghosh, with the producers maintaining a safe distance from the project. "People assume that the film is an attack on the authorities. I wrote an extensive email to Jyoti Deshpande of Jio Studios explaining how the film is, in fact, pro-development. Jio stopped communicating with me eventually, so I started communicating with Drishyam Films. I went through months of depression when it happened. I received no support from the industry either since I am a newcomer in the Hindi film industry. It has been a lonely battle." Above all, the director is shocked at how a film, greenlit by the CBFC, can be meted out such treatment. "CBFC is a government body that has cleared it. This [the UIDAI's involvement] is [setting] a dangerous precedent. I feel helpless, but I am adamant to carry on the fight. It's not a controversial film that should be faced with this predicament. People have watched it at the MAMI Film Festival, and they'll tell you the film has nothing [controversial]."

Mid-day reached out to Jio Studios, which remained unavailable till press time.