Samskara Movie

I saw a preview of Samskara while I was at Madras and I was deeply impressed by" its implications, not only as a work of art, but what seems to me to be a complete breakaway from the safe, conventional forms of Indian film-making. This is a film that will be seriously considered by all committed film-makers throughout the world and will be acknowledged as representing the best in Indian cinema.
Samskara is a courageous film. It takes for its theme the concept of the brahmin elite and it dares to question it. But in doing so, it is careful never to demolish. Men, like great ideas, have weaknesses and it is the acknowledgement of man's fallibility that endows him with dignity and compassion. The brahmin concept is only the spring-board of the film. From it emerges a theme of utter universality, that of a man who comes to question his own motives, his own piety. It is the story of man's self-doubt and a nagging sense of responsibility. Samskara is a film that reaches out, that goes beyond the confines of its own particular theme, and its sensitive treatment forces an universal application.
With all this, it is difficult to understand why the film was banned. By Western standards, there is nothing in the film that would possibly give offense; and if, by Indian standards, its ethics are questionable, then this is indeed a very sad reflection on Indian standards of morality. I can make no direct comparison in the English scene. The nearest similarity, I suppose, is our treatment of Churchill both in literature and film. It was only when the film-makers and the writers gently suggested that our idol had feet of clay that Churchill achieved that extra dimension of humanity.
If anything can give dignity to the Indian way of life and thought it is a film like Samskara. It is a film of which India should be very proud. It is without doubt a festival film and, as such, would contribute greatly to India's status in the film-making industry. India cannot afford to censor such a film. The backlash from the rest of the world, apart from its people, could be painful and humiliating. The Board of Censors, in passing such a film, would show the same quality of courage and imagination that the film makers have shown in making it.
Bernice Reubens
Novelist (Booker Prize Winner), film critic

Here's the link to the documentary "Revisiting Samskara"
   • Revisiting Samskara