The Good Road’s entry defames Gujarat

The Good Road’s entry defames Gujarat’

A section of Gujarati film fraternity has criticized the selection of 'The Good Road' as India's Oscar entry, saying it was done to "defame the state".

A protest was held on Tuesday against Mumbai based ad filmmaker Gyan Correa's film. The protesters claim the state is shown in bad light in the film through the portrayal of child prostitution. The National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) that funded the film is taking a lot of flak along with the Film Federation of India, which chose the film for Oscars.

Producer Abhilash Ghoda, spearheading the protest, said, "People are being misled about what Gujarat means. The Gujarat government has not even registered this film. The movie shows child prostitution on the highways of Kutch. This is a pure lie." Vinay Dave, writer and lyricist, said, "As a writer, I feel the language used in the film is horrible. Small children, especially girls, have been made to speak abusive language. I feel this is blasphemous. This is not a realistic film."

Director Deepak Antani asked, "How can the NFDC, a government organization that uses people's money, fund such a film? It is their duty to show the country in good light." He said the film's nomination does not promote Gujarati or Indian cinema.