Sunday August 10, 2008, 7:00 am
Oh God !!!!!! Animal rights became business to earn money, material & property ????? why tainted people ?????

Maneka Gandhi fumes at 'Rang De Basanti'
IANS [Friday, January 13, 2006]

A day after the Indian Air Force said it had no objections to Bollywood star Aamir Khan's upcoming film "Rang De Basanti" and its depiction of fighter jet crashes, the movie was embroiled in a fresh controversy over its use of animals.

Animal rights activists and Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) member Maneka Gandhi Thursday alleged the film's producer had used animals without getting the mandatory permission of the board.

"According to law, no filmmaker can use animals in their films without the permission of the AWBI. But neither the filmmakers nor the censor board bothered to get this clearance," said Gandhi, a member of Lok Sabha.

"Two months back they were sent a notice regarding the issue but they didn't take our permission and got a go-ahead from the censor board," Gandhi told IANS.

"It's only on Dec 25 that they applied for permission, which is really too late to seek permission."

"Rang De Basanti", which features horses in some of its sequences, is slated for release Jan 20.

The film, directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and featuring Aamir Khan and Soha Ali Khan in the lead roles, was in the middle of a controversy earlier this week over its depiction of crashes of air force jets. A special viewing was then organised for the top brass of the armed forces and Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

AWBI was set up in 1962 under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of 1960 and acts as a nodal body for animal welfare. Gandhi said the law was simple - one needs to take clearance from the board to get a censor certificate.

When a filmmaker wants to use animals, he needs to apply to the AWBI stating the type of animals. An AWBI inspector then carries out an inspection before giving clearance, she explained.

Gandhi said the AWBI was contemplating to take censor board chief Sharmila Tagore and the makers of "Rang De Basnati" to court.

She also said she had talked to the information and broadcasting ministry about the issue. "When I talked to the ministry, they told me that it was a slip and they would take a look at it."

Sunday August 10, 2008, 7:11 am
"Rang De Basanti" vs Maneka Gandhi

What is it with Maneka Gandhi? Now she has objections over Aamir Khan riding a horse in Rang De Basanti and the three bulls, two dogs and half a cat used in the same film. Good God. Not again!

It is not my contention that these animals were not treated badly. May be they were, may be they weren’t. I do not know. But has Maneka Gandhi noticed how the film industry functions in general? Or the way junior artists and stuntmen are treated in the Indian film industry? Forget junior artists even someone like Amitabh Bachchan shot two years for Kaun Banega Crorepati “with some of my most medically complicated shortcomings”. He shot for Sharaabi with his hand in the pocket because in an earlier accident a bomb went off and turned his hand into a “meatball”. Such is the nature of a shoot and the film industry. It just doesn’t matter who/what you are or how you are feeling that particular day – the work just needs to get done. And if in the process actors get inconvenienced, tough luck. Now is Ms. Maneka Gandhi going to object to all these too? I think not.

This does not mean that I believe that animals should not be treated kindly. Of course they should be. I have seen documentaries where elephants were trapped, stunned with electric rods and the flesh on the foot sawed – yes sawed, to prevent them from attempting any escape. It was a heart rending sight. Such incidents and the rampant poaching that takes place in India show that a vigilant SPCA is absolutely necessary.

But, and here is a big but, there is something like going overboard. And the problem with doing that is the legitimate concerns espoused later get laughed at. Objecting to animals being used in film shooting is to my mind ridiculous.

In my humble opinion it is better to let these minor misdemeanours be and go after the big ones. Why is it that Maneka Gandh does not create a huge ruckus about the rampant poaching of the big cats? The proliferating trade in animal parts and skin? These are issues that need to be dealt with and not cosmetic ones such as supplying “supporting artists” to the film industry.

Incidentally was she not a Central minister not too long ago? What did she do about these issues at that time? It is probably time for her to go after these real issues and stop sensationalising an obviously serious problem.

Sunday August 10, 2008, 9:31 am
This is all wrong. Noted with disgust. Thanks Naresh.

Sunday August 10, 2008, 10:40 am
JUST NOT RIGHT! THANK YOU NARESH FOR ALL YOU DO!