‘Phule’ to Release on April 25 with ‘U’ Certificate Despite Protests; Makers Notify Theatres

After weeks of uproar and delay, filmmaker Ananth Mahadevan says they have penciled in April 25 as the Friday when his ambitious drama Phule will hit the big screens—protests notwithstanding.

Based on the life of anti-caste reformers Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai Phule, the film had to be pushed from its intended release date of April 11—which coincided with Jyotirao Phule’s birth anniversary— following objections by Brahmin community associations. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had also asked the makers of Phule, which stars Pratik Gandhi and Patralekhaa in the lead roles, to drop several caste references from the film.

There were murmurs within the industry that the makers might delay the film, but Mahadevan told The Hollywood Reporter India that he is not backing out.

"There is no delay, it is absolutely on track. We have locked April 25th as the release date, and the exhibition sector has been informed," the filmmaker said.

Mahadevan informed that following the CBFC modifications, which the makers accepted, the film has been given a 'U' certificate. The makers are now locking the screen count of Phule.

"It is neither a limited release, as we call it in the art film parlance, nor is it a 2000-screen opening, like the mainstream cinema. We are somewhere in between, targeting all the main cities, and hoping that the film will catch on in a way that we can increase the shows or cinemas from week two. It is a prudent wait and watch to see how the audience reacts to a film like this," he added.

The CBFC had directed the makers to remove terms such as 'Mahar,' 'Mang,' 'Peshvai,' and 'Manu's system of caste,' which are considered sensitive. Even before the list of cuts by the CBFC was reported, the makers had decided to push the film and announced the same on April 8.

"As a filmmaker, I would not want my work to be tampered with. I know it is not in the best interest of the film when you are told to modify something, because we have done incredible research, and every word has been weighed before we shot it," Mahadevan said.

"When you put in so much trouble and then you're told, 'Let's modify that, re-dub this,' that upsets and hurts me. But when I see the other side, if you do not comply, you will have to let go of the 'U' certificate, which I didn't want. A general 'U' certificate is important for a film like this. These changes don't impact the final result of the film. It is not something that has been twisted to a point where what I wanted to say is not clear."

The filmmaker said the month so far has been "tumultuous and even a little amusing" for him, as he believed he would have had a "smooth passage of release" for the film.

But as soon as the trailer dropped, everything changed for Phule as some Brahmin associations objected to the film showing the community in a poor light and taking offence over a specific scene which showed a Brahmin boy throwing cow dung at Savitribai.

The director said everything he has shown in the trailer was factual, and reiterated that he hasn't taken any "cinematic liberties" with Phule.

"It is a straightforward representation of history, not even an interpretation... When these unexpected so-called protests, legal notices, and voices popped up, we wanted to calm them down, explain that a trailer doesn't indicate what a film stands for. Which is why we decided that a couple of weeks of delay wouldn't harm the film, as long as we don't cut out an important section of the audience who also deserve to watch it.

"But it is not that I had sleepless nights. After all, I was dealing with the most fearless couple of India. If they could take on the world and work on not just one issue of girl child education, but gender and caste discrimination with the British breathing down their necks... This was trivial to me," he signed off.