"I believe Gadar is a provocative film.I dont agree with its aesthetics or its sensibility. I question the sagacity of making the film at a time when efforts are being made to ease the tension between India and Pakistan. Gadar positions Muslims as the other. The father of the girl is not a mere villain in the screenplay; he subliminally reinforces the canard that any Muslim is automatically a Pakistani! The film is designed to be a provocative one it confuses issues of nationalism, religion and identities, without dealing with the complexities of the pain the Partition created in the wake. However, I dont agree with the view that partition, as an issue should not be dealt with. I believe that we need to address the issue in its complexities in an attempt to heal the wounds and to prevent us from making the same mistakes again The film Garm Hawa is a shining example.

Having said all this, I defend the right of Gadar to be screened. The only authority that has the right to censor the film has duly censored it. No call for the ban on the film should be acceded to. Our constitution guarantees freedom of expression, and it must be upheld even in trying circumstances. Defending a principle when you dont agree with its example is the ultimate test for secular liberals. I had defended the right of Me Nathuram Godse Boltoi to be staged in the face of extreme opposition and a call for its ban. The right to protest is a democratic right I have participated in innumerable protests myself It is only when the protests turn violent, it becomes Unacceptable. It then becomes a law and order problem, which must be dealt with firmly. The people who wish to see the movie must be given the same right as those who wish to protest against it.

                                                                     -Shabana Azmi