Tusshar Mehta, a businessman, has arranged the marriage of his son Rahul to Meghna. However, Rahul is in love with Saveen, and Meghna steps away from the marriage when she learns of their love. Rahul and Saveen board the Sabarmati Express to meet her father Imran Jafri who lives in Ahmedabad. Before the couple reach their destination, the train is set on fire by a mob near Godhra Junction railway station. Escaping from the mob, they take refuge at the house of Payal, a journalist. The train burning sparks a communal riot. Differences emerge between Rahul and Saveen while they try to protect themselves from the riot, eventually succumbing to it.
Film writer and lyricist Faaiz Anwar co-produced the film, made in five months and with a budget of Rs. 1.75 crores. He stated that the story was "truth ... gathered through numerous newspapers".[1] The film was the directorial debut of Sharique Minhaj, who was working as an equipment supplier for a television channel during the 2002 Gujarat riots.[5]
Chand Bujh Gaya marked the first collaboration between Faisal Khan and Minhaj. They would later come together for Chinar Daastaan-E-Ishq (2015).[6]Mahesh Bhatt had warned Anwar, stating: "you have put your hands in dynamite, not fire".[1] The character based on Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat, was played by Pratap Singh, who was subsequently offered the same role in a television serial, which he declined.[7][8] In a 2007 interview, Anwar called the film "an attempt to bring about a sense of understanding between Hindus and Muslims".[9]
The producers had applied for a censor certificate in September 2003.[11] The Examination Committee of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) initially refused to certify the film, fearing that certain visuals and dialogues in the film may have the "danger of inciting communal violence".[12] Upon discussion with the committee, the filmmakers removed certain scenes, reducing the footage to 10,966 feet (3,342 m) from 11,602 feet (3,536 m). Despite the cuts, the committee refused to certify the film, citing that "the Gujarat violence is a live issue and a scar on national sensitivity. Exhibition of the film will certainly aggravate the situation".[12][13] One key objection made by the board was the likeness between the film's villain and Modi. The CBFC had also denied certificates to two documentaries based on the 2002 Gujarat riots: Rakesh Sharma's Final Solution and Rakesh Pimple's Aakrosh.[14] The producers expressed their inability to make any further cuts to the film as that would "dilute the message of communal harmony" the film intended to portray. To this, the CBFC, in January 2004, finally refused to grant certification to the film in its existing form.[12]
The producers filed an appeal against the CBFC's decision before the Film Certificate Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) in April 2004; FCAT found the CBFC's decision correct and affirmed that the depiction of explicit violence and resemblance of its characters to real-life people could ignite communal violence and "public disharmony".[15][16] Rakesh Sinha, a Tribunal member, stated: "There seems to be a sort of ideological prejudice in the making of the film"; he felt that it gave the impression that the "Chief Minister [was] engineering the riots".[17] He added that one character in the film "not only looks like Modi, he talks and moves like him", and the film "deliberately" targeted the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.[18] The producers refused to cast another actor for the role of the Chief Minister.[17]
The filmmakers petitioned the Bombay High Court against the decisions of CBFC and FCAT as encroachment on the right to free speech and expression. A two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Dalveer Bhandari and Justice Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud viewed the film and reached the conclusion that the "theme of the film is the absolute insensibility of violence. The film does not extol violence nor does it condemn any community as having taking recourse to violence".[12][15] In F.A. Picture International v. CBFC AIR 2005 Bom 145, the bench observed that CBFC's and FCAT's refusal to grant a certificate to the film was a "clear infringement of the fundamental right of the producer under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution", and said they had "misconceived the scope and function of their powers and jurisdiction". The bench in its judgment dated 5 November 2004 directed the CBFC to grant appropriate certification to the film.[12][19]
Release
Chand Bujh Gaya was released on 18 March 2005 with a U certificate, implying unrestricted public exhibition.[20][21] However, the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi, banned the film within Gujarat.[1][22] The film was dubbed into German and titled Der verloschnene Mond.[23]
In its review of the film's soundtrack album, The Hindu noted that the title song "[caused] discomfort" but was appreciative of the three songs: "Chupke Chupke De Jaati Hai Pyaar Ka Paigaam Teri Yaadein", "Rehta Nahin Hai Chand Kabhi Chandni Se Dur", and "Zulf Meri Lehrai Re", calling them "pretty soft and romantic". It opined that from a child's perspective, the song "Yeh Apna Hindustan" "[did] sound good" and "Yaad Aaye woh Din" was a "mood melody".[24]
Reception
Upon its release, Chand Bujh Gaya performed poorly at the box office. According to the Indian film trade website Box Office India, the film had a worldwide first-week collection of ₹10.00 lakh (US$13,000) and a worldwide gross of approximately ₹15.52 lakh (US$19,000), thus earning the label of "disaster".[2]
Rohit Murari wrote in his 3-star review for Fullhyd.com that the film "scores a few points - for its blatant honesty" and Sikander was the "best thing to have happened to the movie". He found the film's music a "typical B-grade affair" and concluded his review by saying: "[T]here [was] no clear, or even unclear, objective behind making the movie".[25]
