CHENNAI: Over 1,000 Tibetans across the country have sent e-mails to Leela Samson, chairperson of the Censor Board of Film Certification, seeking her intervention in revoking its order to cut the ‘Free Tibet’ banner in a Hindi film. The decision of the Censor Board asking the filmmakers to remove the scene is a blur on India’s democratic values, Tibetan students said in Chennai.Ranbir Kapoor-starrer Rockstar, which hits the screens on November 11, features Free Tibet banners and Tibetan flags in its chartbuster song Saddha Haq. The song is said to have been filmed in the Norbulingka Institute, near Dharmasala, and features Indians waving flags and banner for Tibet’s freedom. Following the CBFC’s objection to the same, the filmmakers have reportedly done away with the frame in the song. This has severely disappointed Tibetans living in India, an estimated 1,80,000, who are hoping for the body to reverse its order.“India has been seen as a safe haven for Tibetans ever since our freedom has been threatened in our homeland by the Chinese. The Censor Board’s decision now not only affects us but also curtails the freedom of expression of Indians. Our flag being inserted in a song will not affect India’s law and order situation, then why axe the scene,” asks Tenzin Phuntsok, Tibetan Students’ Association of Madras member and Masters student at the Madras Christian College. Calling the Censor Board’s decision unfortunate, the Association’s president Rinchen Namgyal called for its reversal. “As a mark of protest, more than 50 Tibetans in the state will watch the movie in the city on Saturday wearing T-shirts supporting Tibet and Tibetan flags,” he added. “Tamil Nadu should understand our pain, as Tamils in Lanka are being put through similar hardship as ours,” said another Tibetan in the city. The association has over 200 members in the city.
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