Filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh has resigned as head of the jury of the Indian Panorama of the 48th International Film Festival of India (IIFI) after the final selection saw two films - Sexy Durga and Nude - excluded.
The 13-member jury, led by Ghosh, had reportedly included both the movies in their recommended list, but they were removed from the list passed by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Asked if he has resigned as jury head, Ghosh said,"Yes, but I can't say anything more than that right now."
The jury includes names like Nishikant Kamat, Nikkhil Advani, Apurva Asrani, Ruchi Narain and Gyan Correa, some of whom have expressed dissent over the ministry's move.
Sexy Durga, which will release in theatres as S Durga, is a Malayalam film by Sanal Kumar Sasidharan, while Nude is a Marathi movie by National Award winning director Ravi Jadhav.
Sasidharan's movie was earlier refused censor exemption to be screened at the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival as the Information and Broadcasting Ministry concluded it "may affect the law and order as it hurts the religious sentiments."
A disappointed Sasidharan took to Facebook and wrote:
Ravi Jadhav said he was shocked to read a news report about the exclusion of his film Nude, which the jury had recommended as the opening film. "Don't go by the name," said the hapless director about his film, which is a sensitive tale about a nude model who poses for painters.