Minister of state for Defence Ajay Bhatt has said that the reason for refusal for granting NOC for the movie based on the life of an Indian Army officer is the portrayal of a romantic relationship between a soldier “serving in Kashmir and a local boy which casts Indian Army in poor light and raises security issues”. Bhatt was responding to a query in the Parliament on Friday.
In the response, the minister further said, “The approval process is not arbitrary/discriminatory in nature nor does it violate Article 14 of the Constitution of India. Each case is considered based on its own merits keeping in view the factors like national security, the defence of India, situation of law and order in the country/various states, maintenance of discipline in the Armed Forces, ethos/customs of military service and general sentiments of the citizens and image of the Armed Forces in the minds of the citizens of India/general public.
The approval process is not violative of freedom of speech and expressions, guaranteed under Article 19(1) (a) of the Constitution of India. The freedom of speech and expression is also subject to reasonable restrictions that may be required for safeguarding the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States and public order, decency or morality, or incitement to an offence etc,” it added.
Onir has now reacted to the development and tweeted, So a soldier and a local girl ( like Yahaan)! Would be ok. But a Gay man can’t have any sentiments. Homophobia shows it’s ugly face. By stopping it actually does more harm … instead of becoming the next member of the 56 nations which accept queer identity as a part of the forces we choose to be in the club of nations that violates human rights . Is that an image we want of the nation we love.”
The rationale behind issuing NOC to filmmakers/producers for movies based on defence related themes is to ensure that the Armed Forces are not depicted in a manner which brings disrepute to the Armed Forces/Government/Country, as also to ensure factual accuracy and that no classified matters are brought out in the open domain that could effect in security of the country.
This information was given by Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Ajay Bhatt in a written reply to Shri Feroze Varun Gandhi in Lok Sabha on February 11, 2022.