The CPIML unequivocally condemns the cowardly disruption by RSS goons of the screening of Had Anhad at the Udaipur Film Festival. This brazen attack on democratic spaces and progressive art reflects the growing attack on freedom of speech under the fascist regime, which seeks to stifle any voices critical of exploitation and injustice.
The Udaipur Film Society organised this 3-day festival (15-17 November) as part of the Cinema of Resistance initiative to promote critical and socially important cinema. This year's festival, dedicated to the memory of thousands of Palestinian children brutally murdered by settler-colonial Israel, and to Professor G.N. Saibaba, a tireless advocate for people's rights, was disrupted on its second day. The RSS thugs demanded the removal of these dedications, spewed vile abuse against Palestinians and Professor Saibaba, and unlawfully halted the screening of Had Anhad.
Despite the organisers securing all necessary permissions, the administration failed to stop this undemocratic and unlawful act of RSS. Even the intervention of the District Collector proved ineffective in curbing the RSS’s hooliganism.
The CPIML stands in firm solidarity with the Udaipur Film Society in its brave stand against fascist intimidation. The refusal of the organisers to remove their dedication to Palestinian children and Professor Saibaba is a courageous assertion of democratic rights.
The Sangh Parivar’s fear of progressive cinema like Had Anhad, which exposes the politics of religion through Kabir’s poetry, underscores their broader fear of a growing popular consciousness. Art, especially people-centric cinema, challenges the exploitative status quo and inspires resistance against injustice.
We call upon all justice-loving individuals to condemn this attack on freedom of expression and stand united against the attacks on democratic spaces. CPIML reiterates its unwavering support for pro-people cinema and the Cinema of Resistance against the silencing of dissent.
