First Bengali Film on Passive Euthanasia all Set to Release
RBN Web Desk: Pupa, directed by independent filmmaker Indrasis Acharya and probably the first Bengali film to deal with passive euthanasia, is all set to release on 1 June. The film was awarded an U/A certificate (parental guidance for children aged 12 or below) by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
Indrasis had earlier directed the critically acclaimed Bilu Rakkhsoh last year.
Pupa ran into rough weather earlier this year when the censor board recommended several cuts because the film had the controversial issue of mercy killing as its subject. But a five-member Supreme Court constitution bench chaired by chief justice Dipak Mishra, on 9 March, ruled that advance living will and passive euthanasia are permissible in India.
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Passive euthanasia is a condition where medical treatment of a terminally ill patient is deliberately withdrawn to hasten his/her death.
After the apex court passed its order, Indrasis moved the censor board office at Mumbai for a certification. CBFC Mumbai awarded an U/A certificate, and recommended to put a disclaimer, stating that the film doesn’t promote mercy killing. It also suggested to blur the manufacturer’s label on the vial and syringe shown in the film.
The CBFC office at Kolkata had reportedly asked Indrasis to delete the scenes that showed the vial and the syringe.
Pupa tells the story of an Indian technocrat settled in the US, whose father slips into a coma. While doctors predict that the father has not many days to live, the reality is somewhat different. The son struggles with a moral dilemma whether to return to the US or stay back in Kolkata.
Pupa has Rahul Banerjee, Sudipta Chakraborty, Debaprasad Haldar, veteran actor Pradip Mukherjee, and actor-director Kamaleshwar Mukherjee in lead roles. It was screened at the Kolkata International Film Festival last year.
The trailer of Pupa was released yesterday.