A
new
film
about
a
new
director
Maqbool
Khan's
violent
growing-up
years
in
a
small
town
in
Rajasthan,
is
about
to
give
the
censor
board
the
heebie-jeebies.
And
though
the
producer
Anubhav
Sinha
suspects
trouble
ahead,
the
film's
graphic
language
and
strong
violent
content
got
an
unexpected
boost
from
French
quarters.
Says
Anubhav,
"Francis
d'Silva
who
works
closely
with
Luc
Besson
took
a
shine
to
the
film
Kabootar.
He
was
instrumental
in
getting
Kabootar
into
the
Osian
film
festival.
The
film
is
being
screened
there
on
17
July."
Anubhav
hopes
the
unexpunged
screening
would
invoke
enough
appreciation
to
give
the
film
a
censorial
head
start.
"Otherwise
it
might
be
ruthlessly
chopped
off."
Kabootar
directed
by
Anubhav
Sinha's
former
assistant
Maqbool
Khan
is
arguably
the
most
violent
Hindi
film
ever
made.
Set
in
Dholpur
in
Rajasthan,
it
depicts
the
criminalization
of
teenagers
in
North
India.
13
and
14-year
old
boys
are
shown
as
savage
murderers
and
criminals.
Says
a
source,
"In
Kabootar,
the
director
Maqbool
has
made
Vishal
Bhardwaj's
depiction
of
crime
and
atonement
in
Maqbool
look
like
a
fairytale."
Says
Sinha,
"Kabootar
is
undoubtedly
a
blood-splattered
film.
But
it's
hugely
emotional
and
intense.
I'd
place
it
in
the
same
genre
as
Fernando
Meirelles'
City
Of
God
about
lost
wayward
kids….It's
violent,
intense
and
very
brutal.
But
it's
in
the
nature
of
things.
That's
what
the
theme
demanded.
It's
the
director
Maqbool
and
his
group
of
friends'
story.
All
of
them
are
dead
now.
Only
Maqbool
has
survived
to
tell
the
tale.
It's
been
selected
in
the
competition
section
of
the
Osian
Film
Festival
on
the
17
July."
The
film
gets
its
title
from
the
game
of
kabatubaazi
(pigeon
fights).
The
main
character
is
a
kabutarbaaz
who
fosters
and
cultivates
teenagers
into
a
life
of
political
and
social
crimes.
The
film's
explicit
dialogues
and
aggressive
violence
are
bound
to
create
immense
censorial
difficulties.
Admits
Anubhav,
"It
does
have
a
lot
of
graphic
language
and
that
too
involving
kids.
The
censors
are
bound
to
be
on
their
guard.
But
we
must
understand
that
the
violence
and
strong
language
are
determined
by
the
subject.
The
Osian
directorate
has
no
problems
with
the
strong
content.
But
I'm
getting
ready
for
a
long
battle
with
the
censors
ahead.
"
Story first published: Thursday, July 17, 2008, 12:05 [IST]