Decades have passed since then and government measures have changed. If the ministry were to leave the decisions to them entirely, or at least, largely, then most certainly, we would have a far better festival than what we have at the moment. Avinash’s words can perhaps find further validation in the fact that MAMI had a screening of S Durga in their India Gold section — the same film that the I&B Ministry has dropped from the IFFI line-up without any explanation. Would we want to risk looking as though we (the BJP government) is muzzling artistic freedom?” asks preview board member and BJP politician Vani Tripathi Tikoo rhetorically. "In my interaction as a member of the steering committee with the ministry, I have seen a genuine effort on the ministry’s part to try and alleviate the calibre of discourse and to take small steps towards becoming a truly global film festival.”S Durga posterFilmmaker Avinash Das also condemns all government interference, calling it the principle reason for the stagnation of art and culture forums. Festival of India (IFFI) by the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry, stand testimony to this fact. Just put Mumbai Academy of Moving China wholesale Disposable Pillow Cover Image’s (MAMI) Mumbai Film Festival and IFFI side-by-side. 

"The voice of dissent is also an integral part of that beautiful fabric of India democracy.Back in the 1970s, Satyajit Ray had complained about the process of getting a government sanctions to send films to send them to film festivals as "bureaucratic shilly-shallying. And we shall be hearing a lot of dissenting voices in the films that we’ve chosen for the panorama this year at IFFI,” she says.Convenor of the Preview Committee for IFFI, Vivek Agnihotri, however, sheds some light on the matter, claiming that two films would have been dropped either way. The body could even change the rules as they are now, so that they could negotiate the decisions taken. "If one only takes a look at bodies like the Sahitya Akademi, one can see that they’re autonomous. I would like to have a deeper insight into what is happening and how best as citizens, as artistes and filmmakers of this country, how best we can help bridge the gaps right now that exist,” he signs off.Anand also admits that the matter is not as black and white as it seems.With the upheavals around the festival showing no signs of abating, one wonders whether government intrusion at an international film festival is desirable at all. 

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