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Artist: Anand Patwardhan http://www.patwardhan.com/ Confronting Bodies: The Central Board of Film Certification of India Date of Action: August 2002 Specific Location: Delhi, India Description of Artwork: An anti-war film about nuclear testing and the 11 September atrocities. It features scenes depicting the euphoria surrounding the first successful nuclear tests in 1998 and the planes flying into New York's World Trade Center. The film slips seamlessly from a description of home made jingoism to focus on how an aggressive United States has become a role model, its doctrine of "Might is Right" only too well-absorbed by aspiring elites of the developing world. Description of Incident: "War and Peace" has been deemed too provocative by the country's film censors. The Central Board of Film Certification said the film "may have the effect of desensitising or dehumanising people". Critics have argued the decision to order the cuts is an attempt to control the Indian media in favour of the ruling coalition government led by Hindu nationalists. Scenes that could be stripped include footage of Mohandas Gandhi minutes before he was shot in 1948, and pictures of Hindus slashing their hands to sign their names on messages of congratulations for the nuclear tests. Results of Incident: Patwardhan says if any cuts were made to the three-hour film it would ruin it. He is appealing to the Appellate Tribunal in New Delhi. Source: www.bbc.co.uk, NCAC, www.patwardhan.com/ |