| War and Peace | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Anand Patwardhan |
| Cinematography | Anand Patwardhan |
| Edited by | Anand Patwardhan, Monica Wahi, Sanjiv Shah |
Release date | 2002 |
Running time | 135 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Languages | English, Hindi |
War and Peace (Jang Aur Aman) is a 2002 Indian documentary film directed by Anand Patwardhan. The film covers the Indian and Pakistani nuclear weapons tests in 1998, as well as the nationalist rhetoric that accompanied these tests. It also explores the ill-effects of the Indian test on the surrounding population and the reactions to the test among the government and the public. The latter part of the film also covers the perception of nuclear weapons in Japan and the United States. Upon the film's completion, the Indian censor board demanded that Patwardhan make 21 cuts before it could be released, including cutting all speeches by politicians. Patwardhan refused and took the matter to court; the Bombay high court ruled in his favour a year later, and the film was released without any cuts.
The documentary begins with the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi by the assassin Nathuram Godse in 1948. [1] The film then describes the years after Indian independence. In a voice-over, Patwardhan describes several events, including the United States' use of the nuclear bomb, the nuclear arms race during the cold war, and India's first nuclear test in 1974. [2] Patwardhan summarizes them in the following manner: "The collapse of socialism saw a revival of bigotry. America had now become our role model." [3] The film then examines the growing nuclear nationalism in India. It covers the Hindu-nationalist rhetoric of the Bharatiya Janata Party that surrounded Indian nuclear weapons tests in 1998. [1] The film covers the "Global Peace March" that occurred following the nuclear tests at Pokhran, and the opposition it faced from activists of the Sangh Parivar. [2] It also covers the rise of religious extremism in both India and Pakistan. [1] Patwardhan travels to Pakistan, where he interviews several people, including school-girls participating in a debate on the use of the bomb. [2] In the second half of the documentary, Patwardhan travels to Japan to interview the hibakusha , survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States. [3] The film then moves to the United States, where Patwardhan interviews curators of the Smithsonian Institution. The curators describe how the United States Congress blocked an attempt to create an exhibition on the American use of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, and the effects of nuclear weapons. [2] [3] A postscript to the film shows the September 11 attacks, and the response of the US. [1]
The documentary was shot for three years following Indian nuclear weapons tests in 1998. It sought to explore the Hindu-nationalist rhetoric that accompanied the test. [3] It included footage shot in India, Pakistan, Japan, and the United States. [2] The documentary was produced and directed by Patwardhan himself, who was also responsible for the camera work. [4]
The Central Board of Film Certification, often referred to as the Indian Censor Board, asked Patwardhan to make 21 cuts before the documentary could be released. [5] Among the scenes that were ordered to be cut were the killing of Mahatma Gandhi by the Hindu-nationalist assassin Nathuram Godse in 1948, as well as scenes critical of leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party, which held the central government at that point. [5] The board also asked Patwardhan to cut scenes depicting an exposé of corruption in the defence department of the NDA government by Tehelka magazine, as well as all speeches by politicians and the prime minister. [6] Patwardhan refused to cut the scenes, stating that this was because the scenes were of politically sensitive issues. [5] As a result, the film was banned for over a year. However, after a court battle, the film was screened without a single cut. [3] As with his previous films, Patwardhan also successfully petitioned the court to force the national broadcaster, Doordarshan, to show this film on its national network. It was commercially released in June 2005. [7]
Tehelka magazine called the film a "monumental event for Indian cinema." [7] A review in the magazine Variety stated that the three-hour length of the documentary was a problem, and that it was "long-winded and discursive." However, it said the content of the film was of "immense interest and importance in reminding the viewer of the threat to world peace posed by continuing posturing on the subcontinent." [1] In a review, scholar Linda Hess stated that the film was too long, but that the importance of the content and the skill of the producer made it worth watching. Hess states that the themes of the film included the rise of religious bigotry and militarism in Indian politics, the nuclear arms race triggered by the United States, and at the largest scale, violence and non-violence. [2] The film repeatedly uses images of Mahatma Gandhi juxtaposed with footage that depicts militant ideologies in both India and Pakistan, such as footage of an Islamist rally in Pakistan calling for Islamic world domination, followed by a rally of the Shiv Sena, which calls for a world dominated by Hindutva. [2] Hess goes on to say that the Patwardhan's depiction of the film's complex content has a sense of irony and humor, and that "his eye and voice are unsentimental, his intellect acute." [2]
Operation Smiling Buddha or Operation Happy Krishna was the assigned code name of India's first successful nuclear bomb test on 18 May 1974. The bomb was detonated on the army base Pokhran Test Range (PTR), in Rajasthan, by the Indian Army under the supervision of several key Indian generals.
Nathuram Vinayak Godse was the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi. He was a Hindu nationalist from Maharashtra who shot Gandhi in the chest three times at point blank range at a multi-faith prayer meeting in Birla House in New Delhi on 30 January 1948.
Since the Partition of British India in 1947 and subsequent creation of the dominions of India and Pakistan, the two countries have been involved in a number of wars, conflicts, and military standoffs. A long-running dispute over Kashmir and cross-border terrorism have been the predominant cause of conflict between the two states, with the exception of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, which occurred as a direct result of hostilities stemming from the Bangladesh Liberation War in erstwhile East Pakistan.
Events in the year 1948 in India.
Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha is a Hindu nationalist political party in India.
The Pokhran-II tests were a series of five nuclear bomb test explosions conducted by India at the Indian Army's Pokhran Test Range in May 1998. It was the second instance of nuclear testing conducted by India; the first test, code-named Smiling Buddha, was conducted in May 1974.
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.
Hey Ram is a 2000 Indian period crime drama film written, directed and produced by Kamal Haasan, It was simultaneously made in Tamil and Hindi languages. The film's soundtrack and score were composed by Ilaiyaraaja. It is an alternate history film that depicts India's Partition and the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi by Nathuram Godse. The Hindi version was distributed by Khan's Dreamz Unlimited.
Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated on 30 January 1948 at age 78 in the compound of Birla House, a large mansion in central New Delhi. His assassin was Nathuram Godse, a Chitpavan Brahmin from Pune, Maharashtra, a Hindu nationalist, a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a right-wing Hindu paramilitary organization as well as a member of the Hindu Mahasabha. Godse considered Gandhi to have been too accommodating to Pakistan during the Partition of India of the previous year.
India–Pakistan relations are the bilateral ties between the Republic of India and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The two countries have a complex and largely hostile relationship that is rooted in a multitude of historical and political events, most notably the partition of British India in August 1947. The India–Pakistan border is one of the most militarised international boundaries in the world. Northern India and most of modern-day Pakistan overlap with each other in terms of their common Indo-Aryan demographic, natively speaking a variety of Indo-Aryan languages.
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".
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.
Beena Sarwar is a Pakistani journalist, artist and filmmaker focusing on human rights, gender, media and peace. She resides in Boston and is currently Editor of the Aman ki Asha initiative, that aims to develop peace between the countries of India and Pakistan. The initiative is jointly sponsored by the Jang group in Pakistan and the Times of India across the border. In March 2021, she founded the Southasia Peace Action Network or Sapan along with other peace activists from across indian_subcontinent. In August 2022, Sapan informally launched Sapan News Network, a news and features syndicated service in the making. She is its founding Editor.
Me Nathuram Godse Boltoy is a two-act play written in the Marathi language. It has been written by Pradeep Dalvi. It is based on the book May It Please You Honour written by Gopal Godse. According to Karline McLain the play "enacts Godse's defense plea" and thus "explores the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi and the trial of Godse from Godse's point of view.
Father, Son, and Holy War is a 1995 film by Indian documentary filmmaker Anand Patwardhan. The film is shot in two parts, with the first examining the link between the violence of the Hindu nationalist movement, such as the demolition of the Babri Masjid, and sexual violence against women. The second part looks at the nature of masculinity in contemporary urban India, and its role in encouraging sexual violence. As with other films of his, Patwardhan had to fight multiple court battles in order to force the national carrier Doordarshan to screen the film, a screening which eventually occurred on the orders of the Supreme court. The film received numerous national and international awards, and was also seen positively by critics.
Ram ke Naam is a 1992 documentary by Indian filmmaker Anand Patwardhan. The film explores the campaign waged by the right-wing Hindu nationalist organisation Vishva Hindu Parishad to build a Ram temple at the site of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, as well as the communal violence that it triggered. A couple of months after Ram ke Naam was released, activists of the VHP and other Hindu nationalist groups demolished the Babri Masjid in 1992, provoking further violence. The film earned Patwardhan a wide recognition, and received several national and international awards.
Aman is an Indian anti-war movie directed by Mohan Kumar. It starred Rajendra Kumar, Saira Banu, Balraj Sahani and Chetan Anand in lead roles. The movie was also the debut for Naseeruddin Shah who played an uncredited minor role.
Reason is an Indian documentary film in English and Hindi languages duration with 218 minutes directed by Anand Patwardhan. The film premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival and though never officially released in India, has been screened in private and on youtube.
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