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Mausam hits turbulence with IAF | idrw.org
Just a week before its release, Pankaj Kapurs directorial debut Mausam has run into trouble with the Indian Air Force over an action sequence that occurs in the second half of the film. Shahid plays an air force officer in the film, and the scene that the IAF is objecting to is an action sequence involving six fighter planes, one of them commandeered by Shahid.
According to the letter that the air force sent to the producer and the Censor Board, the action sequence is not technically feasible and they would like a small change to be made to make the scene look more realistic. But producer Sheetal Talwar says he has been caught in a spot just days before the movie was to go to the Censor Board for clearance.
The film has been given only a conditional No Objection Certificate (NoC) by the air force, but till the movie doesnt get full clearance from the force, it cant be reviewed by the CBFC. When we spoke to Sheetal on Friday morning, he said, Im trying to seek a meeting with the concerned officials to make them see my point of view. We had got the script approved a year ago, and even the scene in question was discussed at great length, and a few technical changes were suggested by the air force, which we had accepted. Weve abided by the book for everything in the movie, but this last moment decision is unexpected. We had sought their advice on the technical issues, such as if the badges are correct, the uniform, etc, but they cant comment on the script or suggest creative changes now. I have spent `2.5 crore on this particular action sequence and it is impossible to change it now. It will not just involve more time and money, but will also change my movies story. It is not possible. If they do not see my point of view, I will be forced to move court.
Sheetal says that when the air force officials had seen the movie on Tuesday evening, they had said it was alright, but on Wednesday, he was surprised to see the conditional NoC. But a senior air force official told us, We have no role to play here by interfering in someones creative process. We are simply military men. All we have spoken about is a technical unfeasibility. We are just saying that if he makes those changes, it will be more practical. That sort of an action (in the scene) is technically not possible. That is the only change we have asked for. At the time of going to press, Sheetal was still trying to speak to the concerned officials.
Mausam is not the first film to have run into trouble with the defence forces. The release of Rang De Basanti had a similar situation when the Indian Air Force objected to a computer-generated sequence showing a MiG-21 crash. The IAF suggested those scenes be cut. The Indian Army had objected to Amitabh Bachchans beard in Major Saab. In Hrithik Roshan-starrer Lakshya, which was set against the Kargil war, the army had objected to references to Bofors guns. The release of the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Sathiyo had been delayed in 2004, and it was reported that an army panel had objected to Bachchans portrayal in the film.
Just a week before its release, Pankaj Kapurs directorial debut Mausam has run into trouble with the Indian Air Force over an action sequence that occurs in the second half of the film. Shahid plays an air force officer in the film, and the scene that the IAF is objecting to is an action sequence involving six fighter planes, one of them commandeered by Shahid.
According to the letter that the air force sent to the producer and the Censor Board, the action sequence is not technically feasible and they would like a small change to be made to make the scene look more realistic. But producer Sheetal Talwar says he has been caught in a spot just days before the movie was to go to the Censor Board for clearance.
The film has been given only a conditional No Objection Certificate (NoC) by the air force, but till the movie doesnt get full clearance from the force, it cant be reviewed by the CBFC. When we spoke to Sheetal on Friday morning, he said, Im trying to seek a meeting with the concerned officials to make them see my point of view. We had got the script approved a year ago, and even the scene in question was discussed at great length, and a few technical changes were suggested by the air force, which we had accepted. Weve abided by the book for everything in the movie, but this last moment decision is unexpected. We had sought their advice on the technical issues, such as if the badges are correct, the uniform, etc, but they cant comment on the script or suggest creative changes now. I have spent `2.5 crore on this particular action sequence and it is impossible to change it now. It will not just involve more time and money, but will also change my movies story. It is not possible. If they do not see my point of view, I will be forced to move court.
Sheetal says that when the air force officials had seen the movie on Tuesday evening, they had said it was alright, but on Wednesday, he was surprised to see the conditional NoC. But a senior air force official told us, We have no role to play here by interfering in someones creative process. We are simply military men. All we have spoken about is a technical unfeasibility. We are just saying that if he makes those changes, it will be more practical. That sort of an action (in the scene) is technically not possible. That is the only change we have asked for. At the time of going to press, Sheetal was still trying to speak to the concerned officials.
Mausam is not the first film to have run into trouble with the defence forces. The release of Rang De Basanti had a similar situation when the Indian Air Force objected to a computer-generated sequence showing a MiG-21 crash. The IAF suggested those scenes be cut. The Indian Army had objected to Amitabh Bachchans beard in Major Saab. In Hrithik Roshan-starrer Lakshya, which was set against the Kargil war, the army had objected to references to Bofors guns. The release of the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Sathiyo had been delayed in 2004, and it was reported that an army panel had objected to Bachchans portrayal in the film.
