CENSORING THE DA VINCI CODE

The movie is scheduled to be released in Germany tomorrow. I am eagerly waiting to watch 'The Da Vinci Code' just to see how thrilling the movie is comparing to the book. My experience tells that sometimes books are more exciting than the movie or vice-versa. For an example, the Harry Potter movies create far less excitement than what reading from the original books generate.

I am reading interesting news from various blogs about the movie. One Sri Lankan blog says that the movie will be censored in some Asian Countries. The Indian Government has already put screening of 'The Da Vinci Code' on hold.

"Over 200 Catholic organisations are reported to have submitted a petition against the movie's screening in India to I&B Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunshi. An I&B Ministry official has said that Dasmunshi would seek the opinion of the concerned organisations before allowing the movie to be released in India."

There is even a fatwa against the author. An Indian Catholic has offered a Rs. 11 Lakh bounty for Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown, “Dead or Alive”.

The Indian bloggers are not happy about it. Nitin thinks that competitive intolerance is turning India into a laughing stock.

On the Bangladesh front, the issue of censoring the movie does not come now as no blockbusters get released within 6 months to one year of release in theatres. But in reality you can watch all of them via bootleg DVDs even before their release. Its interesting to see how the Bangladeshi Government reacts to it. In India, the book is widely available. So I am really curious about the effectiveness of the ban. It seems as merely a political stunt.