2 weeks Ago By Abhinav Singh
Filmmaker Zoya Akhtar, the daughter of legendary screenwriter and lyricist Javed Akhtar, recently appeared in a new interview alongside her father where she answered a variety of questions. One of the issues Zoya Akhtar spoke about was the potential censorship on streaming movies and shows as calls for the same escalated with time. Zoya Akhtar – who recently directed The Archies and produced Kho Gaye Hum Kahan for Netflix – spoke about whether the lack of censorship on streaming platforms is limiting or liberating as a filmmaker.
Answering the same, Zoya Akhtar said there should be no censorship in the display of physical intimacy. She said, “It is very important to showcase consensual intimacy on screen. I grew up at a time where women were bullied, beaten up, harassed, and sexually assaulted on screen.
All these were allowed, but you couldn’t see a kiss. People should be allowed to see love, tenderness, and physical intimacy between two adults.” A post shared by Zoya Akhtar (@zoieakhtar) Later, reflecting on the potential of a lack of censorship resulting in vulgarity, Zoya Akhtar said it all comes down to the artistic choice of a filmmaker.
She continued, “Every film has a tone, and every filmmaker tells a story in a particular way. As opposed to Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay, where the choices of showcasing violence were ahead of its time, the violence in Tarantino’s films are operatic. It’s all about what you are trying to evoke in the audience.
The French are more open with male nudity compared to the Americans. Their relationship with their bodies is different. It is a very cultural thing, and it depends on how comfortable you are with yourself, how you view sex, how you view your body, etc.
.. I wouldn’t do in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara what I did in Lust stories.
The audience doesn’t make a big deal of it because the intentions were clear.” A post shared by Zoya Akhtar (@zoieakhtar) Backing his daughter’s statement, Javed Akhtar then added, “If you are showing a love scene to titillate, that is different. If you want to evoke some genuine romance, and empathetic emotions, then it is different.
Even in my worst anger, I don’t use four-letter cuss words. But when I saw it being uttered on screen in Bandit Queen, I didn’t mind them because the intention wasn’t to shock or titillate you. Many films say they are depicting the lived realities of sections of the society and use these words.
However, it is clear that, except the language, nothing reflects their lived reality. Now, that is crude. Intention is very important.
” See Also: Suhana, Khushi, Agastya And Other Newcomers Were Paid ‘Equally’ For Archies; Film Makers Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti Reveal.
