Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Stop suppressing freedom of speech' that was published in Newsband

Stop suppressing freedom of speech

Tamil nationalist groups want Madras Café, a film loosely based on the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, to be banned because it shows the Tamil Eelam struggle in Sri Lanka in a poor light. These people should be told that the right to freedom of speech and expression is enshrined in the Constitution, and chauvinist elements, no matter of what hue, should not even try to infringe on this right.

The government should act against those attempting to disrupt law and order. Whether the film is good or bad, whether it is fact or fiction, all these have nothing to do with the right to freedom of expression of the film-makers and artistes.

In Tamil Nadu, the government appears to have encouraged such groups by banning the film Dam 999 and seeming sympathetic to those wanting a ban on Vishwaroopam. The Central Board of Film Certification is the only competent body to censor a film, and once cleared by the board, no film should again have to be subjected to “clearance” from groups claiming to have been offended by it. These chauvinist elements are encouraged by the government, which instead of imparting to these people lessons on Freedom of Speech, applies pressure on the film-makers. If these people are hurt by what is included in the film then they should refrain from watching it.  

Right to free speech is one of the most fundamental rights. Any curtailment of this right means we are moving towards an authoritarian and fascist state.

We have so many scenes in the movies assassinating Mahatma Gandhi, but here no political party or government has any problem because Gandhi is not a politician. Now a movie is shown where we have scenes of assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, and all political parties and governments have problem.

It is high time the administration and the government machinery stopped bowing down to the demands of some chauvinist mobs. Freedom of speech and expression is being erased, in spirit and in action, freely and frequently. Are we approaching an era where a fundamentalist mob will direct and script a film? Will they decide what India should see and what not?

Our government’s easy tendency to ban films shows a poor appreciation or even total misunderstanding of what freedom of expression (F.E.) means. F.E. is not freedom to express popular bland thoughts; it is the ability to express unpopular ideas. Curtailed freedoms will only reduce our people to live in fear and semi-slavery under tyrannical rulers.