Ban sought on a film Stereo–typing Anglo–Indians and Christians

A film based on the life of Anglo–Indians allegedly stereo–typing them and Christian community has been sought to ban across the country.

The movie in question “Bow Barracks Forever!” directed by Anjan Dutt was released last Friday in some theatres Kolkata and Delhi. The film is an attempt to depict the lives of a section of the Anglo–Indian Christians in North Kolkata, with their tradition threatened by the forces of development and change time brings about. In doing so has allegedly stereotyped the characters of the community and Christians in a bad light.

Barry O’Brien has called for a ban on the film “Bow Barracks Forever!” unless a mention was made in the credits that it was totally a work of fiction. Neither was it reflective of the Anglo–Indians it sought to portray nor the place where some of them lived — a housing suburb in the central part of the city, popularly known as Bow Barracks — Mr. O'Brien told the media on Tuesday.

Mr. O’Brien earlier addressed his appeal for a ban on the film to Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who is also the Minister of Information and Cultural Affairs, while drawing the attention of the Speaker of the West Bengal Assembly, H.A. Halim, to the matter during mention hour on Tuesday.


Mr. O’Brien said that the film, which was purportedly on the lives of a section of the Anglo–Indian community with the storyline of they being deprived of their homes by land sharks was a travesty of truth, particularly at a time when talks were on between the State Government and representatives of the community on development of the Bow Barracks area — home to 132 families, eighty percent of whom are Anglo–Indian and Christian.

“One has the creative liberty to make a film but when it claims to speak about a specific people, the documentation should be authentic. Here is another film that portrays Anglo–Indians and the Christian community as stereo–typed characters, some thing that has been going on for decades,” he said.

“The negative connotations are offensive, of them being wife–beaters and drunkards. The Anglo–Indian community has gone a long way from earlier decades and such stereotypes. Neither does it want any patronage,” Mr. O’Brien added.