In a rare moment, megastar Amitabh Bachchan spoke about civil liberties and freedom of expression in films. He also spoke about how current historicals reek of jingoism. Amitabh Bachchan was one of the chief guests at the 28th Kolkata International Film Festival.
As per the video shared by the news agency ANI, Amitabh spoke about cinema and censorship. He said, “The 1952 Cinematograph Act set out the structure of censorship as it stands today upheld by the film certification board (Central Board of Film Certification). But even now, ladies and gentlemen--and I am sure my colleagues on stage will agree--questions are being raised on civil liberties and freedom of expression.”
"Since early times there have been many changes in cinema content. From mythological films and socialist cinema to the advent of the angry young man and the current brand of historicals, couched in fictionalised jingoism, along with moral policing, the range has kept audiences reflecting on the politics and social concerns of the times,” the megastar said.
He continued, "The festival (KIFF) has always celebrated the inclusive spirit of cinema beyond the confines of what Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore called ‘narrow domestic walls’. I salute you Kolkata for giving me my first job and giving Jaya her first film but most of all, I salute you for your artistic temperament that embraces the essence of plurality and equality. This is what makes Bengal so special."
Amitabh Bachchan then spoke about filmmakers such as Satyajit Ray and Rittwik Ghatak and the socio-political issues portrayed in their work.
The inaugural ceremony of the Kolkata International Film Festival 2022 took place at the Netaji Indoor Stadium. Several prominent names were in attendance such as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Mahesh Bhatt, Shatrughan Sinha, Rani Mukerji, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Kumar Sanu and Arijit Singh among others.
