"People Should Be Allowed To See Love, Tenderness": Zoya Akhtar Slams Censorship (Image-Instagram/zoieakhtar)
Zoya Akhtar addressed the censorship over physical intimacy in Indian films and expressed her opinion on the freedom of filmmakers and censorship. Her portrayal of comparison between the restriction over physical intimacy and the liberation over harassment received applause from the audience.
As the documentary Angry Yong Men received acclamation from the audience, filmmakers Javed Akhtar and his daughter Zoya Akhtar shared their insights underlining the craft of filmmaking. The father-daughter duo graced the latest session of Expresso held on Thursday in Mumbai.
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As a filmmaker, Zoya opened up about the lack of censorship on OTT, and whether it is limiting or liberating her as a filmmaker. Pointing towards censorship, she said that it is important to showcase consensual intimacy on screen. Her comparison extended by referring to her time in films, where women were bullied, beaten up, harassed, and sexually assaulted on screen. Questioning the censorship, she added that all the mentioned acts were allowed, but you couldn’t see a kiss. People should be allowed to see love, tenderness, and physical intimacy between two adults.
This claim of the filmmaker received a warm round of applause in affirmation. She also emphasized the need for censorship, and added that the absence of censorship can also result in a no-holds-barred approach to showcasing intimacy on screen.
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Calling it a filmmaker’s choice Zoya highlighted that every film has a tone, and every filmmaker tells story in a particular way. She said it was always about what a filmmaker is trying to evoke in the audience. She also added that it is all about the intention. Referring to her Lust Stories, she said “The audience doesn’t make a big deal of it because the intentions were clear.”
