JNU Students’ Union Blocks Filming of Sudhir Mishra’s Web Series on Indian Emergency – Republic World

JNUSU breaks web series filming on campus | Image: JNU Facebook

New Delhi: The filming of a web series about the Emergency at India’s Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) was disrupted by the university’s students’ union on Saturday, even as the administration said it had given permission for the shooting to take place on campus. building. The JNU Students’ Union has protested the filming of the web series in the administrative block of the campus, terming it as “commercialization” of the university space.

JNUSU has demanded to know why permission was given to film in the administrative block when students are barred from protesting on the premises. Nearly 500 crew members have been deployed at the campus for the past two days setting up production facilities to shoot a web series on India Emergency, a senior official told PTI.

“JNUSU illegally obstructed and also tried to force filmmaker Sudhir Mishra to withdraw from the JNU campus. The filmmaker took proper permission from JNU authorities to make a web series about the Emergency in India,” the official said.

Speaking to PTI, Amar, the producer of the web series said, “A large group of students gathered and started a disturbance when we were shooting a scene near the administrative block. They also hacked director Sudhir Mishra and shouted abusive words against our team. We were forced to stop shooting.”

There was no immediate reaction from Mishra to this allegation.

According to the production manager, the director tried to hold a dialogue with the opposing students and convince them that the web series was not against the university. However, students continued to disrupt the shooting.

Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union President Dhananjay rejected the claim and said, “We are not against the web series or its team. But we will not allow any kind of commercialization on the campus,” he told PTI and demanded the administration’s return. Money taken to allow shooting.

Earlier, a student group had written to the university administration opposing the shooting of the web series in the administrative block of the campus.

In a letter to JNU Vice-Chancellor Santishree D Pandit, the students’ union demanded to know why firing was allowed within a 100-metre radius of the administrative block, while students are barred from entering the space to hold protests.

“We have come to know that Sudhir Mishra’s film is being shot in the administrative block. It is appalling to know that this is the same place where students are not allowed to assemble to press their legitimate demands,” the email said. Read further which states that action will be taken against the students if they try to stage a protest at the venue.

“We were against the commercialization of our university space. This is a public university and this space should not be used for any kind of commercial purposes,” it said further.

The student council demanded to know why the team was allowed to gather students for the shoot, claiming that it was recruiting students for the filming of the web series.

The student body also demanded to know the details of the monetary transaction with the administration for the shooting.