'1946 Calcutta Killings' to release on April 14

Director Milan Bhowmik's "1946 Calcutta Killings" will be released on April 14 after Central Board of Film Certification issued a U/A certificate to the movie.

The film, in Hindi and Bengali, will be released in 350 theatres across the country.

"The CBFC's Film Certificate Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) has asked me to cut one comment about Jawaharlal Nehru uttered by the character of Muhammad Ali Jinnah that him in poor light and I agreed," Bhowmik told PTI.

The movie is set during the months leading up to the riots that broke out in the city from August 16, 1946 which claimed thousands of lives.

Bhowmik said he had appealed to the FCAT in early 2017 after the CBFC's Kolkata and Mumbai offices refused to grant certificate to the film on the ground that it had derogatory comments about certain political figures of the time and might cause communal disharmony.

On May 8, 2017, the FCAT suggested some changes and directed the CBFC to come to a decision after Bhowmik submitted the film with necessary cuts. It was sent back to FCAT in July and a nod was given.

"My film has not glorified riots. People from different communities had been killed in the riots in 1946. My aim is to make people aware of the perpetrators of such acts and to educate the youth about the dangers of riots. I think I was able to explain this to the tribunal members and they understood. Neither are we glorifying any political group or vilifying any community," the director said.

The makers have also put a disclaimer stating that the movie was aimed at educating the youth about dangers of communal violence.

In the film, former Film and Television Institute of India Chairman, Gajendra Chauhan, is essaying the role of Shyama Prasad Mukherjee.

The movie will have special screenings for invited guests in three BJP-ruled states - Tripura on April 4, in Assam on April 8 and in Jharkhand on April 12. It will also be screened in Kolkata on April 10.