Why MSG Should Be Allowed To Screen

About a year ago, while flipping through the pages of India Today’s Hindi edition, I came across an advertorial that introduced me to Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) chief Saint Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan – a man whose name, if mentioned repeatedly, could, on its own, escalate the word count of this article more rapidly than I care for.

So, for the sake of simplicity and so that this article doesn’t explode from the awesomeness of such a grand name, I’ll just call him Singh.

Even this, my introductory encounter with Singh, introduced me to the controversial side of the man as the advertorial was titled, in bold yellow font, Homosexuality – A Curse. Having been brought up Christian (more by birth than personal choice), the idea of a “man of god” decrying homosexuality was hardly new to me. What piqued my interest was the sheer intensity of Singh’s gripe with homosexuality.

According to Singh, not only was it leading to the degradation of humanity, but it was also spawning such moral depravity as beastiality and incest. Luckily, Singh, like others in his line of work, informs us that he can also cure homosexuality. Happy in the knowledge that the degradation of humanity had been postponed, my curiosity turned to this godman with an unmatchable secular name, so I delved deeper. What I found not only amazed and amused me, but also stirred feelings of deeply intense jealousy.

The man has a list of talents comparable to the father-son duo of Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un. Not only is he a godman with around five crore followers, but his list of talents (and I’m quoting from his website) includes “Emperor of melodies”, “Universal Designer”, “Excellent Chef”, “Sportsman par Excellence” and my personal favourite a “Global Warming Mitigator”. He really is the perfect man if you can look past the accusations of castration and murder against Singh and his followers. Oh, and the fact that he’s apparently physically and mentally incapable of sex, a defence used by the man himself to counter allegations of rape last year.

Still, this article isn’t about the talents I’ve listed or the allegations against him. It’s about his most recently displayed talent and the controversy it’s causing. In December, 2014, Singh followed in the footsteps of Himesh Reshammiya when it was announced that he would be making the transition from musical extraordinaire to thespian in his maiden directorial venture – MSG: The Messenger of God (MSG).

MSG, it’s being argued, like its namesake, Monosodium glutamate, is not good for people. Is it that bad? Maybe. But rejecting the movie, as announced by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), is not the way to go.

The simplest argument to put forward would be to state that I’m a near-absolutist when it comes to freedom of speech – I support the right of an individual or organisation to express themselves so long as they do not incite people to violence. In an ideal world this argument alone would suffice, but since we have to deal with the “what is” rather than the “what should be”, let’s go deeper.

First, to address the public outcry against the movie. After the inevitable fallout and backlash against godmen in the wake of the recent Rampal saga, people pointed at the charges I’ve mentioned against Singh as reason enough to disallow the film. The argument that criminal charges should disqualify a person from producing, directing or starring in a movie flies in the face of current practices and would immediately put both Sanjay Dutt and Salman Khan, among some other Bollywood bigwigs, out of contention immediately.

It should also be noted that while Dutt was found guilty by courts, Singh has been exonerated of some charges and has not been found guilty of any charges levelled against him thus far. Sure, one could argue that the charges against Singh are varied and worrying, but, if people with criminal charges can run for public office, surely cinema is a more acceptable choice of profession.

Public outcry is less worrying though, one sees enough of it and more on social media to know that outraging is a national past time. No, what’s more worrying is the CBFC’s response to the movie.

The CBFC, which was praised by liberal voices for passing the controversy-dogged PK without any changes, has, with their initial rejection of MSG, taken a giant step backward. While one may have scores of issues with Singh, the exception that the CBFC has taken to the movie is strange. A CBFC member is quoted to have said the board members have taken exception to both Singh depicting himself as god in the movie as well as the fact that he is shown curing terminal illnesses and performing miracles that “are not substantiated by logic”.

Apart from the fact that the movie is called “the MESSENGER of God” as opposed to just god and, as stated by the MSG spokesperson, that Singh calls himself an “insan” or human in the trailer itself, the grouse against a godman playing a godly character seems bizarre. It’s alright for Aamir Khan to play a godman-debunking alien, Hrithik Roshan and Shahrukh Khan can play superheroes and Akshay Kumar can play Krishna himself, but to be a godman playing a god man, THAT is a problem? As far as the worry that the movie serves as an advertisement for Singh, what movie isn’t a brand-building exercise for the actors involved? Is it not just an instance of a religious sect advertising itself, albeit more creatively than we are traditionally used to?

If the worry is that people might start to follow Singh after seeing the movie, then, quite simply, the CBFC is slipping into old habits of moral policing. Deciding what viewers are or aren’t allowed to take away from a movie is not the CBFC’s job, nor should it be. The CBFC’s insinuation that the Indian public is unable to distinguish real from reel also smacks of condescension.

As for performing miracles that “are not substantiated by logic”, let’s look at the definition of the word miracle. According to the Oxford Dictionary a miracle is -An extraordinary and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore attributed to a divine agency. In other words, if you can explain it, it isn’t a miracle.

In times where we have the Indian Science Congress discussing vedic era spacecraft and a Prime Minister talking about elephant-head transplant surgery in ancient India, the CBFC taking exception to a godman character in a work of fiction performing miracles and curing illnesses is astonishing.

A Ministry of Home Affairs also seems opposed to MSG being released as certain Sikh organisations are opposed to the movie glorifying Singh. These objections should be treated the same way the courts handled the outcry against PK – if it offends you, don’t watch it. Or better yet, respond with your own movie. I’m sure there’s a religious-adventure niche in Bollywood waiting to be filled.

The movie has currently been referred to the Film Certificate Appellate Tribunal, where one hopes better sense prevails.

Will I be going to watch the movie? Probably not, but that doesn’t take away from my belief that the release of MSG should not be blocked for any reason, let alone the flimsy objections put forth by a censor board that seems intent on anchoring itself in the dark ages.