‘Amended’ Phule will hit theatres on 25 April

Director Ananth Mahadevan’s Phule is the latest film to have caught the attention of the Central Board for Film Certification (CBFC).

The film, starring Pratik Gandhi and Patralekhaa, is based on Maharashtra’s 19th-century social reformers Mahatma Jyotirao Phule and his wife Savitribai Phule, and was scheduled to release in theatres on Friday 11 April. The biopic highlights the couple’s fight against caste discrimination and gender inequality.

Mahadevan said the film, now scheduled to release on 25 April, has been postponed after a section of the Brahmin community in Maharashtra expressed concerns about their representation in the film. He denied that the postponement was due to, what he called, “amendments” suggested by the censor board.

The CBFC had issued ‘U’ certificate to the makers on 7 April and had asked them to make changes like removing terms such as Mang, Mahar and Peshwai, the visual of a “man carrying a broom” was to be replaced with “boys throwing cow dung balls at Savitribai”, and the line 3000 saal purani gulami to be modified as kai saal purani, among others.

“They had suggested some amendments, I wouldn’t call it cuts. I want to clarify that there are no cuts as such. We did so. They felt that the film should be watched by youth and everyone and it’s very educative. I don’t know why this whole storm of conflict and counter arguments are happening, I think it’s a little exaggerated and unnecessary,” Mahadevan said.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday, 11 April, criticised the BJP and RSS on the row over Phule and alleged they want to erase Dalit-Bahujan history at every step so that the real truth of caste discrimination and injustice does not come out.

In a post in Hindi on X, Rahul Gandhi said, “On one hand, BJP-RSS leaders pay homage to Phule ji in a superficial manner, and on the other hand, they are censoring the film made on his life!”

A social media user expressed disappointment about how films based on caste issues like Phule, and Santosh face hurdles.

“Movies on figures like #Savarkar or #SambhajiMaharaj get released without much resistance. Films glorifying so-called great Savarna icons face no hurdles, but when it comes to movies like #Phule or #Santosh—which aim to show the harsh realities of caste discrimination—they are constantly met with opposition, delays, or outright censorship.”

With PTI inputs