31, Oct 2015

Written by Dipti Nagpaul | Mumbai | Published:October 31, 2015 2:01 am
A day after the government denied permission to screen a documentary on beef at the 12th Jeevika Asia Livelihood Documentary Festival 2015 in New Delhi, the makers of the documentary have said they would hold independent screenings of Caste on the Menu Card on college campuses and at civil society organisations.
A statement issued by the five filmmakers on Friday stated they are “deeply saddened” by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry’s move to deny exemption for screening the film at the festival. “We are planning to get the film screened on college campuses and civil society organisations across the country to encourage a dialogue. Moreover, we will be releasing the film online in the days ahead,” read an excerpt from the statement. Caste on the Menu Card was scheduled to be screened on October 31, but the I&B Ministry refused to exempt it from certification, said Centre for Civil Society (CCS), which is organising the film festival. On Friday, CCS pushed for another round of negotiation, but the efforts yielded no response.
Of the 35 entries sent to the Ministry, Caste on the Menu Card was the only film which was not exempted from certification.
The documentary was made in 2014 by five students of School of Media and Cultural Studies at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences as part of their course. Training the lens on food practices in Mumbai, the film aims to portray the prevalence of caste and touches upon concerns related to livelihood, social inclusion and human rights.