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EntertainmentThe video of the song was launched online by Malayalam film star Mammootty.Tnm StaffA boy is resting in a field of grass when a raindrop falls on his face. He runs and dances across a village in Kerala when he sees a small army of leaders holding black umbrellas. The animated line of people becomes a map of Kerala as the faces of the leaders become clear. Up ahead is Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, followed by Health Minister Kk Shailaja, with Congress leaders like Shashi Tharoor and Hibi Eden in the line. Health workers and police personnel are also among them. The video, with a song that its makers call ‘The Kerala Anthem’ in the background, was launched online by Malayalam film star Mammootty. “The song was written four years ago! Like we say in the beginning of the song, it was conceived as a song of ‘brotherhood and dreams’. But in March,...

Mollywood The trailer of the film was released on Sunday after months of delay due to the Cbfc demanding cuts in the film. Tnm StaffAfter much delay, the trailer of the Malayalam movie Aabhasam is finally out. The film starring Rima Kallingal and Suraj Venjaramoodu, was to hit the screens on January 5 but was delayed due to the 'A' certificate awarded by the Cbfc. "Jinnah is gone, Marx is full, Gandhi has two seats...otherwise there is Godse and Ambedkar. Which one do you want?" the trailer opens with this question. The film, which is a dark comedy on the politics prevailing in the country, is built around an overnight bus journey from Bengaluru to Kerala. The bus service company known as Democracy Travels has buses with names of persons associated with the police and democracy in some way. The trailer also hints at beef politics, moral policing and communal tensions present in the country. Actor Prakash Raj took to Facebook to release the trailer of the film. Stating that the film is an "engrossing, seeking, questioning film," he launched the YouTube link of the trailer on his post. Also read: 'Aabhasam' gets 'A' certificate for being anti-establishment: Director slams Cbfc Apart from the lead actors, Aabhasam's star cast also includes ace actors Indrans, Mammukoya, Nassar, and Alencier Ley Lopez. The film is written and directed by Jubith Namradath, who is making his directorial debut with the project. Dev has composed the background score and Oorali has scored the music for the soundtrack. Prasanna S. Kumar has cranked the camera for this movie with Shameer and Muhammed editing it. In January, the Cbfc initially awarded an 'A' certification to the film which was contested by the film's crew. The board also demanded muting of certain dialogues and cuts to the film. The crew members, who were fine with muting, vehemently opposed the cuts, which resulted in the postponement of the release. Lamenting about it, producer Sanju Unnithan said that the delay in the censor certification means they have to wait for one more year to take part in the film festivals and awards. He has been quoted by the Deccan Chronicle as saying, “We are ready to comply with their demand — to make a few mutes. Still, the movie can’t escape ‘A’ certificate. Some of the claims made at the Censor Board are that the film does not convey any positive message to society and it is all dark. But it is a satire. We won’t accept the certificate and will place a request to review the decision.” Watch the trailer here: (With inputs from Digital Native)...

MollywoodDirector Jubith says that his film has no nudity or violence that warrants the ‘A’ certification. Sowmya RajendranMalayalam film Aabhaasam is the latest to face the Cbfc's scissor-happy ways. The film, a social satire, has been certified 'A' by the Cbfc, which has also asked the filmmakers to mute certain dialogues and make cuts in the film. Speaking to Tnm, director Jubith Namradath says that there is nothing defamatory in his film and that the references made in it are suitable to the satire genre. "Cbfc, after viewing the film, straightaway gave an 'A' certificate. And this was provided we mute some dialogues. There are an umpteen number of questions - what happens if we don't mute the dialogues? Don't we get anything (certification) at all? We wanted to discuss what we can do to make the film 'U/A' but they were not ready to discuss that. It was as if they'd decided and this is what it was going to be," he says. Jubith adds that the dialogues the Cbfc wants muted are not derogatory as they claim. "We were in a fix and we thought we'll go to the review committee. That's what we're planning to do," he says. Jubith doesn't understand why the Cbfc has given the film an 'A' certificate when there is no nudity or gory violence in it which usually warrants adult certification. "We put up the question - why 'A'? We don't have violence, we don't have nudity. And they straightaway said it's because it's anti-establishment! I'm really not sure if there's a criteria like that - anti-establishment means 'A' certificate," he says. Jubith points out that satirical films have to be anti-establishment. "The Cbfc committee actually viewed the film on the 26th of December. We wanted the film to be included in 2017. They viewed the film on the 26th and kept us waiting till the 4th of January. They issued a letter as if they'd viewed the film on the 4th. They did tell us that this is what it was going to be but the notice had this date and not the previous one. They made it this year's film deliberately. We don't know why they had to do that," he alleges. Jubith rues that the 'A' certificate will limit the reach of the film. Asked about the Cbfc's increasing interference in the liberty of filmmakers, Jubith says, "I'm facing the censor board for the first time. I was surprised to see how they view films. If they see a woman smoking, that is anti-establishment. It's common for men to smoke and put a disclaimer at the bottom of the screen. But if you show a woman smoking, just the card will not do. That kind of viewing a film, I really don't understand." Jubith says that women members of the Cbfc had problems with a scene where the lead actor of the film, Suraaj Venjaramoodu, has his leg up on a milestone and is speaking to the audience. "They said that the women members couldn't watch it because his thighs were shown! When they objected to this, we didn't even know which scene they meant...where Suraaj 'shows off' his thighs. That shot was actually made by the producer as the cover photo," he says, with a laugh. Commenting on the suffocating levels of censorship, Jubith asserts that the Cbfc should be more broad-minded about how they certify films and that it's unfair to limit films with such unreasonable demands.

MollywoodThe film is a dark satire.Digital NativeDigital NativeThe makers of the Malayalam film Aabhasam are disappointed over the Cbfc decision to make cuts in their film and the 'A' certification it has received. They are fighting against the Cbfc's decision. The film was screened for the censor board officials on December 26th with plans to release the movie on January 5, 2018, but with the 'A' certification the release date had to be postponed. According to the filmmakers, the officials have advised certain cuts and also want to mute some dialogues. While the Aabhasam team is ready to opt for muting the dialogues, they are vehemently opposing the cuts, which has resulted in the postponement of its release. Lamenting about it, producer Sanju Unnithan has said that the delay in the censor certification means they have to wait for one more year to take part in the film festivals and awards. He has been quoted by the Deccan Chronicle as stating, “We are ready to comply with their demand — to make a few mutes. Still, the movie can’t escape ‘A’ certificate. Some of the claims made at the Censor Board are that the film does not convey any positive message to society and it is all dark. But it is a satire. We won’t accept the certificate and will place a request to review the decision.” Aabhasam has been written and directed by Jubith Namradath, who is making his directorial debut, and the film stars Rima Kallingal and Suraj Venjaramood in the lead roles. Others in the star cast include Alencier Ley Lopez, Indrans, Vineeth Vishwam, Anil Nedumangad, Divya Gopinath, Shyam Sheetal and others. Dev has composed the background score and Oorali has scored the music for the soundtrack. Prasanna S. Kumar has cranked the camera for this movie with Shameer and Muhammed editing it.