Film on child prostitution on DD irks viewers, writers in Kerala

Scandalised viewers and angry writers are up in arms against Thiruvananthapuram Doordarshan.

The viewers are unhappy about the screening of Rugmini, a film on child prostitution, even though there were no scenes involving nudity or sex. The writers blew their lid when Doordarshan apologised to viewers for showing such a film to viewers.

Writers and film personalities who met against the backdrop of the controversy complained that Doordarshan had insulted and disappointed several serious film and serial makers in the past too. Rugmini was based on a short story by Kamala Das and directed by K P Kumaran.

A spokesperson for the writers told Rediff On The NeT that the committee plans to send a delegation to New Delhi to apprise Information and Broadcasting Minister S Jaipal Reddy about the state of affairs in the local DD Kendra. A signature campaign has also been proposed.

Writers in Kochi and Kozhikode, who also met in this regard, maintained that Doordarshan had belittled the film and its maker by apologising for the telecast in its Prathikaranam (Reactions) programme on May 11.

Doordarshan had reluctantly screened the film after the state women's commission pressed them for it. The commission felt a film about child prostitution would create awareness in society against the social evil. Several writers and film personalities agree that the director had approached the story with great restraint.

Bharath Gopi -- the national award-winning actor who is the committee's convenor -- said he had seen the film with his children and had found no sex or vulgarity. Kamala Das said she was satisfied that there was no glorification of lust in the film. Director Kumaran feels if he had sought to titillate, the movie would have done better at the theatres than it did.

Meanwhile, Doordarshan officials deny apologising for the telecast. All the Kendra had said, they say, was that it was sorry that many viewers could not accept the film. Kumaran will have none of that, claiming the programme still put the film in poor light. He said DD had declined to give him a copy of the cassette wherein the programme was recorded. "If Doordarshan has nothing to hide, they would have given the cassette," he said.