FIR Registered On Filmmaker Divya Bharathi For The Trailer Launch Of Her Next Documentary

A three minute thirty seconds trailer of a documentary “Orutharum Varela” (Nobody Came) directed by documentary filmmaker and activist Divya Bharathi, produced by Leftside media was released on June 28th on YouTube. 63,000 viewers have so far viewed the impactful video. The documentary is centered on the fishermen who lost their lives to the cyclone Ockhi and the interaction with their families. The characters in the trailer have questioned the authority, “Where have the helicopters gone?”, “Is the army to destroy others and not to protect its people? Is it so?”, and many more such questions. After the trailer release, director Divya Bharathi has been facing a crisis situation. She says, “On July 3rd police came to my home at Madurai. I wasn’t there. At early morning 5:30 a.m., they jumped over the fence and barged into the house like capturing a terrorist. They then demanded the hard-disk and CDs of my film. They have incessantly tortured and asked my husband and father to give the movie. When asked for a search warrant or summon, the officer was not ready to show it. After half an hour, without even sharing the name of the station they left”.

Under the BJP regime the voices of artists, journalists and writers are being continuously suppressed and freedom of speech and expression has been denied. This case is another example of the state and central governments’ atrocities on artists who dare to raise questions on the existing authority. According to Divya Bharathi, the day when she reached the Madurai court (since she is also an advocate), two police pulled her bike and snatched the keys. “They called me for interrogation so I asked them to show the ID card. In the ID, it was mentioned as Salem City Police. Then, it became a big issue as all the lawyers gathered and questioned their manner of investigation. Then the police left. After both the incidents I applied for anticipatory bail. When they came to reply they said that a sub-inspector from Cuddaloor police station had complained. So we can clearly say that the state has done this,” said the documentary filmmaker.

The director had already been in trouble for her first documentary Kakoos. A case was filed against the documentary and it was banned in many places across Tamil Nadu. “The court only gave me a conditional bail against the anticipatory bail that I filed, which means I have to stay in Cuddaloor and sign at the police station for a week. On August 3rd I surrendered at the Cuddaloor police station and from next day onwards I started signing. According to the procedure I should sign and leave but enquiry officer Muralidharan dealt with me on the first day. Though he doesn’t have the right to question me when I’m on a conditional bail he interrogated me for two hours. He gave me a questionnaire with 25 questions to be submitted on Monday. I have shared the images with the press. Today when I went, he was taken aback and I told them that I can answer only after consulting my senior advocate. I said I’ll submit only after reaching Madurai. Since local media organizations gathered he accepted my request,” said the director, who is also an activist..

The Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers and Artists Association’s office bearer R.T. Muthu has said, “This is not the way to deal with New Delhi and Kerala State award winning documentary filmmaker Divya Bharathi. The case filed by the police on Divya Bharathi before the release of the film is suspicious. Everyone will talk about and criticize a government that doesn’t know to govern. As a responsible government they should listen to the voices of the people and change but not try to suppress the mirror of society, the artists.”

The documentary is expected to release by the end of this month once the subtitling work is completed. “I knew this documentary will invite many such cases but I never thought they’ll register a FIR for the trailer itself. So the release will be well-planned. For now we have thought of releasing it in neighboring states. After two days of release, the documentary will be uploaded on YouTube. I have faith in court that they will help me in protecting my freedom of expression despite the police atrocity,” she added.