As an artiste, I’m afraid of what is happening in India right now: Director Jeo Baby

Malayalam By PTI Feb 01, 2024 Read the article

It is a worrying trend that films in India today go through many forms of censorship, said Jeo Baby, whose recent film Kaathal-The Core (2023) shows Mammootty as a homosexual man.

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“We are facing religious and political censoring. It is worrying not only for filmmakers but all artists,” Baby told PTI in an interview.

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When he was all set to release his film The Great Indian Kitchen, in January 2021, starring Nimisha Sajayan, the COVID-19 restrictions made the theatrical release impossible.

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But popular OTT platforms were not ready to touch the film, as the film also tackled a socio-political issue that was playing out at that time

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Luckily for Jeo Baby, just like Kaathal, The Great Indian Kitchen too captured the people’s hearts despite the heaviness of the subject.

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Though giving in to societal pressure is not an option, the filmmaker said there is no point in rushing to the goalpost without a ball.

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According to Jeo Baby, films like The Great Indian Kitchen and Kaathal are important because they hold a mirror to society. “They are there only because our society is like that,” he says.

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“We must find new platforms for screening or streaming these kinds of films. I think we all need to get together, as we are fighting against social conditioning,” he says.

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