KOCHI: A 78-minute documentary based on the Emergency, ‘21 Months Of Hell’, will be made a feature film, director Yadu Vijayakrishnan has said. The documentary mainly features interviews of ‘victims’ of the Emergency declared in the country in 1975 along with the re-enactment of scenes of the alleged ‘excesses’ committed during the period.Yadu, son of filmmaker Vijayakrishnan, told reporters here on Saturday cinema and literature of Kerala had neglected the RSS-Janasangham activists who were brutally tortured during the Emergency and portrayed the Naxalites and leftists as the major fighters against the ‘black days’.
“Majority of the former Naxalites are regretting their acts during that period. Now, many of them have backtracked from their ideologies. However, the RSS-Janasangham workers do not feel any regret and they still believe their struggle helped establish democracy in the country. Meanwhile, a section is propagating Emergency had brought good for the country.
The new generation has only limited knowledge about the inhuman torture methods used during the period. Several persons are still suffering from severe health issues. These facts prompted me to make the documentary ‘21 Months Of Hell’, he said. The first screening of the documentary was held at Sangeetha Theatre here on Saturday. The exhibition will continue till Friday.Earlier, the documentary triggered a controversy after the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) denied certification demanding proof of the torture methods used by police during the Emergency.