Inshallah, Football

Last updated

Inshallah, Football
Inshallah, Football.jpg
Poster
Directed by Ashvin Kumar
Produced by Javed Jaffrey
Release date
  • 2010 (2010)
Running time
80 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguagesKashmiri, Urdu, English

Inshallah, Football is a documentary film by Ashvin Kumar about an aspiring footballer who was denied the right to travel abroad on the pretext that his father was a militant in the 1990s. The film was completed in 2010, and has faced difficulties getting released in India. The film's first screening in India at the India Habitat Center received this review from Tehelka magazine, 'Kumar's camera catches the irony of Kashmir's physical beauty, the claustrophobia of militarisation, the dread and hopelessness of children born into war and the nuances of relationships. It also filters the inherent joie-de-vivre of youth, even if that flows uneasily with Kashmir's collective memory of unmitigated grief...There is no better way to understand Kashmir right now.'. [1] The film was shot by Kumar himself using five different camera formats "There is a rough, almost unpolished, feel to Inshallah, Football. The narrative runs unfettered, with an energy of its own." says Tehelka, "We shot with five different cameras, from DSLRs to the best equipment. The idea was to watch life unfold and get under the skin of the audience." adds Kumar. [2]

Contents

Plot

Inshallah, Football is about 18-year-old Basharat Baba, known as "Basha". His father, Bashir, was a much-wanted leader of the armed group Hizbul Mujahideen. When he left his home in Kashmir to join the training camps in Pakistan in the early 1990s, his son Basharat was barely two months old.

Basharat belongs to a new generation of Kashmiris, having grown up under the shadow of a protracted conflict. His passion is football, and he has been coached by Juan Marcos Troia, an Argentinean national and FIFA accredited football coach by profession. Marcos aspires to breed world class players from Kashmir; he and his wife, being attached to both Basha and Kashmir, migrate to Srinagar with their three daughters to take up Basha's cause. [3]

Marcos runs a football academy called International Sports Academy Trust; and an exchange program for his most talented players to train at Santos FC, Pele's old club in Brazil. Basharat was one of chosen few, but was denied a passport by the Government of India. The passport in question did come through after Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah intervened. [4]

Inshallah, Football tells this story through Bashir's recollections and travails. [5] Kumar describes the film as "the story of three remarkable men – one is his father who fought for his beliefs, another about the football coach who's come all the way from Argentina to start this football academy, and this young man who is struggling to play football." [6]

Reception and accolades

The film has been critically acclaimed and played in competition part of the wide-angle documentary section at the Pusan Film Festival, where it also received the Asian Network of Documentary (AND) Fund, [7] and winner of Muhr AsiaAfrica / Documentary /Special Mention : Ashvin Kumar (director) at the Dubai International Film Festival [8]

Censorship controversy

This film has face considerable difficulties in getting the necessary censor certificate, without which it cannot be shown publicly in India. The main stumbling block appears to be the content of the film itself, since it deals with the sensitive and highly political subject of how the Indian armed forces have conducted themselves in Kashmir.

The series and timing of events by which this film's review by the censor has proceeded is unusual, and suggestive of political considerations playing a part in the award of a censor's certificate:

The award of an "Adult" certificate for a documentary is very unusual, since an Adult certificate is normally awarded to feature films that include graphic violence and nudity. Such films can be shown only to audiences over the age of 18, and most movie theaters in India will not ordinarily agree to screen such films since it is very difficult to for them to make money in the circumstances.

The explanation for awarding Inshallah, Football was that the film has "characters talking about graphic details of physical and mental torture they had to undergo. The theme of the film is mature and some dialogues can be psychologically damaging for non-adult audience." Kumar, however, asserts that the real purpose of this censorship is to avoid causing embarrassment to the Indian government, with regard to the conduct of the Indian armed forces in Kashmir. [11]

Mrs. Tagore made further comments on the 16th anniversary of the women's press corps that were reported by the online version of Outlook Magazine [12] to which Kumar has responded in an open letter to Mrs. Tagore taking on the wider issue of censorship, the relevance of the censor board using Inshallah, Football as an illustration saying that her comments "...would be mildly amusing if they didn't also cast a shadow on the average Indian citizen's freedoms to produce and receive messages, and if they didn’t potentially compromise the livelihood of members of my (and your) fraternity–those troublesome film-makers who don't toe the line and whose discomfiting messages the nation needs to hear." [13] A separate report of Mrs. Tagore's comments is more direct, calling Kumar's comments 'untrue'. [14] Kumar has responded to this in the aforementioned open letter saying 'You said that my statement about being denied a certification for my film Inshallah, Football was 'untrue'. I was hurt; after all, it is not often that I am called a liar in public.'. [13] Mrs. Tagore has also said in the same interview that Inshallah, Football "(is) a beautiful film and I want everyone to see it," but Kumar counters, "Let me speak plainly. I think you have been used to stamp a sense of 'reasonableness' on the sordid affair of restricting freedom of speech. The decisions of the body you head need to be, or need to be seen to be, more moral, more conservative, more risk-averse, more politically correct and more circumspect (thus, in common parlance, more anal-retentive) than is natural or necessary, even if basic principles of natural justice need to be given a go-by from time to time.". [13] The same open letter also appears on Kumar's blog where it has attracted a fair share of attention by way of adverse comments not only concerning censorship but the Kashmir issue as well [15]

The timing of this award of an Adult certificate to Inshallah, Football is curious, since it coincided with the award of an Adult certificate for a No One Killed Jessica, a film based upon the murder of Jessica Lall by Manu Sharma, a wealthy man with strong political ties to the ruling Indian National Congress. In both cases, there is an appearance of the Indian censor board having taken political considerations into account in their award of Adult certificates. Kumar says that he will now appeal to the CBFC tribunal [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharmila Tagore</span> Indian actress (born 1944)

Sharmila Tagore is an Indian actress primarily known for her work in Hindi and Bengali films. Regarded as one of Indian cinema's most accomplished actresses, Tagore is a recipient of two National Film Awards, a Filmfare Award and the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to Hindi cinema. In 2013, the Government of India, honoured her with Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian honour for her contributions to the Indian culture through performing arts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anand Patwardhan</span> Indian film director

Anand Patwardhan is an Indian documentary filmmaker known for his socio-political, human rights-oriented films. Some of his films explore the rise of religious fundamentalism, sectarianism and casteism in India, while others investigate nuclear nationalism and unsustainable development. Notable films include Bombay: Our City (1985), In Memory of Friends (1990), In the Name of God (1992), Father, Son, and Holy War (1995), A Narmada Diary (1995), War and Peace (2002) and Jai Bhim Comrade (2011), and Reason (2018) which have won national and international awards.

<i>Waqt</i> (1965 film) 1965 film by Yash Chopra

Waqt is a 1965 Indian Hindi-language Bollywood masala film directed by Yash Chopra, produced by B. R. Chopra and written by Akhtar Mirza and Akhtar-Ul-Iman. It was included in the British Film Institute's long list of films in consideration for its top ten of Indian films award. Released in India on 30 July 1965, the film stars an ensemble cast of Sunil Dutt, Raaj Kumar, Shashi Kapoor, Sadhana Shivdasani, Sharmila Tagore, Balraj Sahni, Achala Sachdev, Rehman and Madan Puri. It pioneered the concept of Hindi films with ensemble casts.

Censorship in India has taken various forms throughout its history. Although the Constitution of India de jure guarantees freedom of expression, de facto there are various certain restrictions on content, with an official view towards "maintaining communal and religious harmony", given the history of communal tension in the nation. According to the Information Technology Rules 2011, objectionable content includes anything that "threatens the unity, integrity, defence, security or sovereignty of India, friendly relations with foreign states or public order".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Board of Film Certification</span> Film certification body of India

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is a statutory film-certification body in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of India. It is tasked with "regulating the public exhibition of films under the provisions of the Cinematograph Act 1952." The Cinematograph Act 1952 outlines a strict certification process for commercial films shown in public venues. Films screened in cinemas and on television may only be publicly exhibited in India after certification by the board and edited.

Arvind Trivedi was an Indian actor and politician from Gujarat. He, alongside his brother Upendra Trivedi, was prolific in Gujarati cinema for over 40 years. He became a household name for playing the role of Ravana in television series Ramayan (1987). He was elected to the Lok Sabha, lower house of the Parliament of India from Sabarkantha, Gujarat as a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basharat Peer</span> Kashmiri-American journalist, commentator and author

Basharat Peer is a Kashmiri journalist, script writer, and author.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashvin Kumar</span>

Ashvin Kumar is an Indian filmmaker. He wrote / directed and produced India's only Oscar-nominated short film, Little Terrorist (2004), with his debut film Road to Ladakh being released in the same year. He also made the feature-length documentary films Inshallah, Kashmir (2012) and Inshallah Football (2010); feature-length thriller The Forest (2012); and coming-of-age tale Dazed in Doon (2010).

<i>Papilio Buddha</i> (film) 2013 Indian film

Papilio Buddha is a 2013 Indian film written and directed by Jayan K. Cherian. The film focuses on the atrocities committed against Dalits, women and the environment. It features S. P. Sreekumar, David Briggs and Saritha Sunil while Padmapriya, Prakash Bare and Thampy Antony play supporting roles. Kerala-based environmentalist Kallen Pokkudan appears in another important role in the film which also cast 150 Adivasis. The film was completely shot from Wayanad in Kerala and the cinematography was done by M J Radhakrishnan. The story deals with discrimination against landless Dalits and the politics of suppression of their struggle against the upper castes and other powerful elements locally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">32nd National Film Awards</span> Indian film award

The 32nd National Film Awards, presented by Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India to felicitate the best of Indian Cinema released in the year 1984. Ceremony took place in June 1985.

<i>Miss Lovely</i> 2012 film

Miss Lovely is a 2012 Indian drama film directed by Ashim Ahluwalia and set in the criminal depths of Mumbai's C-grade industry. Ahluwalia's debut feature follows the story of the Duggal brothers who produce sleazy sex-horror films in the mid-1980s. The plot explores the intense and mutually destructive relationship between younger sibling Sonu Duggal, played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and his elder brother, Vicky. Sonu finds himself drawn to a mysterious young woman named Pinky eventually leading to his downfall. Miss Lovely had its cinematic release on 17 January 2014. The film has received the National Film Award – Special Jury Award and Best Production Design at the 61st National Film Awards.

<i>Denikaina Ready</i> 2012 Indian film

Denikaina Ready (transl. Ready for anything) is a 2012 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film directed by G. Nageswara Reddy and produced by Mohan Babu. The film features Vishnu Manchu and Hansika Motwani in the lead roles. The film is a remake of the Malayalam film Udayapuram Sulthan.

<i>Inshallah, Kashmir</i> 2012 Indian film

Inshallah, Kashmir is a 2012 documentary film directed, produced and written by Ashvin Kumar. It is the story of contemporary Kashmir. A series of counterpointed testimonies, the heartbreaking coming-of-age of ordinary people; warped and brutalised by two decades of militancy and its terrible response. Tehelka says, "Although the camera and narrator usually provide the impartial eye in a documentary, stitching the story together, in Inshallah, Kashmir it is the Kashmiris who weave their deadpan narrative into a cohesive picture. Their matter-of-fact monotone says more than an entire valley of screams could."

<i>Dazed in Doon</i> 2010 Indian film

Dazed In Doon is a 2010 film written and directed by Ashvin Kumar, who was invited by The Doon School to create a fictional film set in the school to mark the school's 75th Founder's Day in 2010. It has since become controversial as after the initial screening during the occasion, the school authorities moved to suppress the distribution of the film on the grounds that it "doesn't give the School a good name", referring to the scenes of bullying depicted in the film. The film runs to 55 minutes and was made in just four months, from the start of pre-production on 20 June 2010 to the first screening on 23 October 2010.

<i>Haider</i> (film) 2014 film by Vishal Bhardwaj

Haider is a 2014 Indian Hindi-language crime thriller film directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, who co-produced it with Siddharth Roy Kapur, and written by Bhardwaj and Basharat Peer. It stars Shahid Kapoor, Tabu, Kay Kay Menon, Shraddha Kapoor and Irrfan Khan.

<i>An Insignificant Man</i> 2016 Indian film

An Insignificant Man is a 2016 Hindi/English Indian socio-political documentary co-produced and directed by Khushboo Ranka and Vinay Shukla and also co-produced by filmmaker Anand Gandhi. and is about the rise of anti-corruption protests in India and the formation and rise to power of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The film received a standing ovation at its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and has gone on to have sold out screenings at major festival across the world including the BFI London Film Festival & Busan International Film Festival.

Pahlaj Nihalani is an Indian film producer. He was the former chairman of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. He was also the president of the Association of Pictures and TV Programme Producers for 29 years until he resigned in 2009. He was sacked as CBFC chief on 11 August 2017 and soon Prasoon Joshi appointed as CBFC Chief by Smriti Irani.

<i>21 Months of Hell</i> 2017 Indian film

21 Months of Hell is a 2017 documentary film about the torture methods performed by the police in India during The Emergency. The film is directed by Yadu Vijayakrishnan and produced by Arise Media Network.

No Fathers in Kashmir is an Indian drama film directed by Ashvin Kumar. Written by Ashvin Kumar, the film stars Zara Webb, Ashvin Kumar, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Anshuman Jha, Natasha Mago, Sandeep Verma. The film was released on 5 April 2019.

<i>The Kashmir Files</i> 2022 Hindi film by Vivek Agnihotri

The Kashmir Files is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language drama film written and directed by Vivek Agnihotri. The film presents a fictional storyline centred around the 1990 exodus of Kashmiri Hindus from Indian-administered Kashmir. It depicts the exodus and the events leading up to it as a genocide, a framing considered inaccurate by scholars. The film claims that such facts were suppressed by a conspiracy of silence.

References

  1. ↑ India's Independent Weekly News Magazine Archived 2012-09-10 at the Wayback Machine . Tehelka. Retrieved on 2012-02-10.
  2. ↑ India's Independent Weekly News Magazine Archived 2012-09-13 at the Wayback Machine . Tehelka. Retrieved on 2012-02-10.
  3. ↑ A football kick that aims for hope Deccan Chronicle, 13 November 2010
  4. ↑ Tehelka, 15 November 2010
  5. ↑ More Than A Game, Express India, 5 November 2010
  6. ↑ In Kashmir, inshallah, there will be football, The Daily Rising Kashmir, 15 November 2010
  7. ↑ Pusan International Film Festival loves docs. Europe-asia-documentary.com. Retrieved on 2012-02-10.
  8. ↑ Inshallah, Football Archived 2012-03-04 at the Wayback Machine . Dubaifilmfest.com. Retrieved on 2012-02-10.
  9. 1 2 Sharmila denies censoring Jessica, Kashmir Films. The Hindu, 24 December 2010
  10. ↑ CBFC refuses censor certificate to Inshallah Football Archived 2013-01-26 at archive.today . Kashmir Dispatch, 24 December 2010
  11. ↑ My reaction to censorship on Inshallah Football Archived 2013-01-27 at archive.today . Kashmir Dispatch, 24 December 2010
  12. ↑ Censor Board Not for Moral Policing: Sharmila Tagore. news.outlookindia.com. Retrieved on 2012-02-10.
  13. 1 2 3 An open letter in response to Mrs. Sharmila Tagore's comments – censorship & untrue claims.. Facebook. Retrieved on 2012-02-10.
  14. ↑ "Claim of Ashvin about Inshallah Football untrue: Sharmila". Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). greaterkashmir.com. 15 January 2011
  15. ↑ . Archived 10 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  16. ↑ Bound by Rigour. Indian Express (2011-02-01). Retrieved on 2012-02-10.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.