Interview: Dibakar Banerjee

By: Contributing Writer WP

March 17, 2010

By: Sima Malhotra

Talking about sex in India is about as welcome as rekindling debates of partition along the present-day India-Pakistan border. No matter how one slices it, a mere discussion of anything sexual is quite taboo in just about every corner of India, even in Bollywood.

So when Dibaker Banerjee’s Love Sex aur Dhokha dove headstrong into voyeurism and lovemaking, the filmmaker should have totally expected an air of controversy as the film prepares to release this week.

However, despite a late approval from the Censor Board, which only came in after he had to make five cuts while toning down a sixth sex scene in Love Sex aur Dhoka, Banerjee told the press he was kind of taken aback by the current reactive climate surrounding his film.

“I made a film I believe in without the intention of creating a controversy; the controversy is an after-effect,” Banerjee said in a recent interview with The Times of India. “My (mom) was a little hesitant while pronouncing the title at a stretch.”

Even worse, Banerjee may be hesitant himself to see the film release this weekend, what with the Censor Board forcing him to snip out a few scenes he adamantly insisted on keeping – mostly because he feels audiences will not be able to properly judge Love Sex aur Dhokha.

He further added the risqué scenes in the film were less for viewing pleasure and were instead played out to make a bigger statement. Unfortunately, the Censor Board did not agree with him.

“I would like to state on record that I am not comfortable about the picture coming out. I want the scene to be judged as part of the film (in its entirety),” Banerjee told an Indian-based entertainment publication earlier this week. “To use the picture out of context will be damaging to the film. The idea is not to draw vicarious pleasure from it.”

Even more, Banerjee publicly told a media outlet the questionable scenes were not intended to raise controversy but instead to move the story along in an artistic and contextual manner.

“The story makes you live through the dilemma of the character and how they realize that they have done something they can never undo. It’s tragic,” the film’s director told the press. “I would advise the people who watch the film to not go for the nude scene, as they will not get what they want.”

To that end, he spared no words in speaking of the Censor Board, candidly sharing his harsh feeling toward the regulatory organization in his talk with The Times of India.

“I am apprehensive about the reaction of the members of the Censor Board, as this kind of film needs that sensitivity. I am all for the creative integrity of the subject matter, and my job is to see that the message is delivered,” Banerjee reportedly said. “It’s not about the sex scene but how to retain the integrity of the story while remaining within the legal limits of the land. I’d say it’s a genre-defining film, and the most emotionally draining, gut-wrenching film I’ve made ’til now.”

Alas, every dark cloud has a silver lining sourced from a ray of hope, and Banerjee thinks the controversy surrounding Love Sex aur Dhokha will be more beneficial than harmful, as it may result in more fans filling theaters to watch this film instead of the other two productions opening this weekend.

And greater publicity means greater exposure, not only for what Banerjee feels is his best film to date but also increased attention for the relatively fresh cast who needs all the media publicity they can get.

“It’s a great feeling when small films that need all the publicity acquire the same on their merit,” he shared in his chat with The Times of India. “I just hope this film does not get misunderstood for being what it’s not and that the desired message is conveyed to the audience.”

That message, even in its abridged state, is uniquely delivered to audiences, what with three different plots coming together to tell a realistic story of the perils of voyeurism. Even more, the story is portrayed in a revolutionary manner, what with Love Sex aur Dhokha shot fully in digital format while using a diverse set of high-tech cameras to display the most subtle of nuances as the film plays out on screen.

Even with the cuts and ultimate full approval by the Censor Board, Love Sex aur Dhokha is quite the risqué film for modern Bollywood standards and is not necessarily a family film, even though the visionary Banerjee tells an accurate tale that the very lines society drew between adults and their offspring are rapidly blurring and disappearing into oblivion.

Love Sex aur Dhokha opens in theaters on March 19th.