Creative Freedom for Films: Illusion orReality?

Introduction

“Man is born free and everywhere he is in chains” - Jean-JacquesRousseau.

Man, though born free like other creatures of the earth, is inchain everywhere. It happens because of the restrictions andrestraints, which man imposes on himself, or are imposed on him byothers. Being the most intelligent of the God’s creations, humanbeing has to follow social norms, customs, rules, regulation, lawsetc. in the interest of harmonious existence. As a result, he isnot absolutely free and he also cannot do all the things in theway he wants.

Defining Freedom

According to Oxford Dictionary, freedom refers to the “state ofbeing free or at liberty.” Freedom is the state of being free fromrestraints. It occurs when one has complete control over one’sthoughts and acts and the power to turn them into action.

The word freedom has been defined differently in different timeswith different frames of mind. According to Mike Treder, a wellknown Sociologist, “Freedom is greater than just the right to act.It stands for securing to everyone an equal opportunity for life,liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

But, freedom can never be defined in limited frames. It hasdifferent meanings and dimensions. According to William Gairdner,freedom can be classified into several categories1 such as

11William Gairdner, Article from the book ‘ The Trouble With Democracy’

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Internal Freedom

It is the most basic type of freedom. All normal human beings areborn free and every life is a delicate string of millions of suchpersonal choices, for better or worse. Internal freedomnecessarily does not have to be known. It is something that givesa sense of morality from within.

Self – freedom

Every living organism, be it man, animal, plant or even thesmallest of microbe, needs a sense of freedom to survive andsustain satisfactorily. As far as self – freedom is concerned, itrelates with the practice of self-control, restraint, and balanceto achieve the admired master-slave relationship of soul overbody. The goal of this kind of freedom is therefore oftenexpressed as the need “to find oneself”.

External Freedom

This refers to the normal and common freedoms expected in dailylife. It is sometimes described as freedom from, because itimplies immunity from undue interference by authority, especiallyby government.

Political Freedom

In common words, “political freedom” has to do with establishingcertain predictable and permanent rights of action, no matter oneuse them or not. The most common political freedoms are the rightto speak freely, to associate with people of one’s choice, to ownproperty, to worship, to leave and re-enter one’s country etc.

Collective or “Higher” Freedom

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This is sometimes labelled “positive freedom,” or “freedom for”,because it is based on an ideology of collective unity thatprescribes distinct social and moral values and objectives forall. 

Spiritual Freedom In its purest form this type of freedom comes from striving for acomplete identification with God to arrive at a condition of soulthat transcends the confusion and disharmony of the self and thematerial world. 

Creativity and Freedom

According to the Webster’s dictionary, “Creativity is the abilityto transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, orthe like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods,interpretation, etc.”

Creativity is never limited in any of the social and humanboundaries. The way with which creativity is presented can differ,but, the worth of the same can never fade away.

Creative Freedom

Although, William Gairdner, in his book ‘The Trouble withDemocracy’ has not clearly defined Creative freedom, but onlinesource -Dictionary.com has defied Creative Freedom as “is theright to speak one’s own mind and adhere to one’s belief withoutany fears of being approved.”

As far as the need and importance of creative freedom isconcerned, Tibetan Spiritual Leader, Dalai Lama has stressed theneed for individual freedom to ensure overall growth of humancreativity. In an interview to Hindustan Times on March 17, 2010,he said, “without freedom, one’s creativity cannot bloom. Right tofreedom is pivotal for the progress of any society. And for this,there should be a sense of global responsibility, a feeling ofoneness for all beings.”2

2 Abhinav Kashyap, www.hindustantimes.com, March 20103

Right to Freedom of Speech and Expression

In India, the constitution guarantees certain civil liberties toits citizens which are called as fundamental rights. TheFundamental Rights are defined as basic human freedoms which everyIndian citizen has the right to enjoy for a proper and harmoniousdevelopment of personality. These rights universally apply to allcitizens, irrespective of race, place ofbirth, religion, caste, creed, color or gender. They areenforceable by the courts, subject to certain restrictions. 

The Constitution of India contains the right to freedom, given inarticles 19, 20, 21 and 22, with the view of guaranteeingindividual rights that were considered vital by the framers of theconstitution. The freedom of Speech and Expression is regarded asthe first condition of liberty. It is of speech and expressionthat it is the mother of all other liberties. It means the rightto express one’s own convictions and opinions freely by words ofmouth, writing, printing, pictures or any other mode. The firstprinciple of a free society is an untrammeled flow of words in anopen forum.

Freedom of Speech and Expression is guaranteed not only by theconstitution or statutes of various states, but also by variousinternational conventions like Universal Declaration of HumanRights, European Convention on Human Rights etc.

Creative Freedom – The Real Insight

Standard and beautifully phrased definitions have been laid downfor a word that has no boundaries, ‘freedom’. But, when it comesto granting the same, innumerous constraints are laid down.

The more we are made free in terms of constitutional rights, themore we get trapped in the web of actuality and reality. In thename of censorship and social norms, the imagination and itsportrayal is repeatedly questioned. Films are banned regularlyeither accusing them of vulgarity or because they showcase the

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bitter truth of society. Eminent talents like M F Hussain, SalmanRushdie etc. are targeted for their bold artwork and ideas. Evenliterature is not left behind when it comes to accusing them.

As per the researcher, the concept of freedom must ensure acertain type of political, physical and above all mentalempowerment. A person and a society is free when there is noboundaries put on the thoughts which are not destructive for anyother being.

Practically, the real freedom has never been given to a man.Sometimes, the thoughts are controlled, sometimes the emotions.Somewhere, it is the art work that is barred, and somewhere, it sthe artist himself or herself who is suppressed.

When the mind is free, no matter if a person is behind bars, he orshe would never lose the sense of freedom and being free.

Thus, what matters the most is the freedom which is transparentrather than the claims that are made to grant it. The deceptioncannot sustain for long. The base of creativity has to be rocksolid which can only be done with the foundation of true freedom.

In the research, the researcher puts an attempt to know to whatextent the people feel the need of creative freedom and also tounderstand their reactions towards the dubious interpretation ofcreative freedom.

Statement of the Research Problem

Although the constitution has given Freedom of Speech andExpression, but, when it comes to the application of freedom,especially in terms of showcasing one’s creativity, obstacles haveto be faced at every step. In this research, an effort has beenmade by the researcher “to understand and analyze the importance of creativefreedom for an individual. An attempt would be also made to examine the responsesof the youngsters towards the ambiguous interpretation of creative freedom, takingfilms into account.

Significance5

Freedom works like lifeblood for all round growth. Not only forthe individual, but, it ensures the development of society on thewhole. Once the real meaning of ‘freedom’ in true essence isunderstood, there would be no need of advocating for the need ofgranting the same.

There are numerous previous examples, where freedom either insocial, political or personal life has been suppressed. But howfar is it justified to stop them from voicing their opinion merelyfor few irrelevant, baseless and rigid social norms. Severalincidents were reported in the past which put question marks onthe interpretation or expression of ‘Real Freedom’.

Some examples:

1. Verbal Support of Maoist Rebels Banned3

To curb the growing insurgency of the Maoist in the country,government of India banned the organization. In fact, the Indiangovernment on its official statement warned that those who speakin support of Maoist terrorists could be prosecuted, under Section39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

2. Hue and Cry Over Verbal Statement of Actress Khusboo

In 2005, Indian film actress Kushboo was charged on 22 counts ofobscenity because of her statement on premarital sex. There weremass protests in Tamil Nadu where Kushboo was worshiped by some asa goddess. The temples built in her honour were destroyed afterthis incident. Later, the Supreme Court dismissed all 22 chargesbrought against her.

3. Artist M F Hussain Forced to Give Away Indian Citizenship

3 Ajita Kamal, Nirmukta magazine

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India’s most celebrated modern artist, Muqbool Fida Hussain,awarded with Padma Shree, received several life threats for hispaintings. It forced him to leave the country and take up thecitizenship of Qatar.

In all the above examples, freedom of expression has forcefullybeen curbed irrespective of the reason. In this research paper, aneffort has been made by the researcher to understand the need ofcreative freedom and analyze the reaction of the youngsters aboutthe dubious interpretation of the same.

Objective of the researchWe all are well aware of the fact that the political andbureaucratic system around us is too strong and rigid to bebroken. It is almost difficult to expect for all-round attainmentof freedom.

In this research paper, the researcher will make an attempt tomeet the following objectives:

1. To know the need and importance of creative freedom for anindividual.

2. To understand the reason for the dubious interpretation ofcreativity.

3. The research aims to analyze the reaction of people,particularly, the youngsters towards the dubiousinterpretation of creative freedom, taking films intoaccount.

Review of the literature Article: Creative Freedom

Publication: Delhi Times (Times of India)

Date: August 15, 2011 (Monday),

Author: Times News Network

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REVIEW: In the contemporary times, when people boasts of their‘democratic’ status and freedom of speech and expression, a lookdefinitely needs to be given to the reality underneath.

The ‘freedom’, no matter creative, social or physical is justsuperficially claimed. No area has been left free from the gatekeeping on the part of the authorities.

The young generations have old and pretentious head on the top tolook and instruct them every issue. Be it films, books, words,social networking quotes and even the clothes, the government andover sensitive ‘sensors’ seem to be intervening way beyond theacceptance level.

With the given description, the extent of the freedom that peoplehave today need not be mentioned again. Thus, the articlestrengthens the ground for carrying out the research.

Article: Denial of Freedom: Reflections on Prevalent Academic Practices

Publication: Scholarly Article (multiworldindia.com)

Date: August 15, 2011 (Monday)

Author: - Avijit Pathak

REVIEW: The difficult aim of ‘Freedom’ is said to be primaryaspiration of human. With taking academic knowledge as thereference point, feeling the sense of freedom to express one’sideas and views is said to be a distant dream by the author.

With the example of academic knowledge and a limitation on ‘out ofthe box’ thinking, freedom especially in terms of creativity istoo little, to make its presence felt. Freedom, unlike theguaranteed, is too difficult to achieve. Thus, with ‘freedomguaranteed’ comes alongwith ‘ambiguity’ free of cost.

Article: Feature

Publication: TIMES OF INDIA (Delhi Times)

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Date: August 15, 2011 (Monday)

Author: - Arpita Nath

REVIEW: The Constitution of India has certainly guaranteed thefreedom of expression. But, to cut down on the bark of samefreedom, it doesn’t guarantee the safety if someone threatens theother to be killed over a mere painting play or drama.

MF Hussain had to flee the country just for making a painting thatsome people found ‘objectionable’. If ask for a reason, It issomething completely absurd.

Play like Eve Ensler’s “Vagina monologues” was banned as it showswomen talking about sex.

Such frustrating example forces one to wonder if there’s anythingbesides administrative issues the government won’t step in for.

Our system, rather than promoting creative freedom, is exercisingthe power to curb and suppress the creativity today. Thepoliticizing issues for media mileage led to the suppression ofcreative freedom in the country.

Article: ‘Painting Naked’ led MF Hussain to die in exile.

Publication/Channel: Website (www.ibtimes.com)

Date: June 9, 2011

Author: - Manami Mallik

REVIEW: MF Hussain, a legendary artist who was also called as‘Picasa of India’ died in exile out of his own country.

The legend was always surrounded by the legal claims and many ofhis artworks were also forbidden from exhibition and weresubjected to legal action as the law ministry subjected thepictures to be having potential to spark off communal riots.

Repeated attacks and attempts to kill MF for his bold artwork onlyportrays one fact and i.e. the society is too rigid and bounded in

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a cage of superficial living that thinking apart from the leagueis assumed to be a heinous crime.

The definition of limit of ‘Freedom of expression’ has always beena difficult question to deal with. We don’t have clear demarcationof creativity freedom Also, the excessive government interventionon the issues has been the big hurdle.

Article: Feature

Publication: TIMES OF INDIA (Delhi Times)

Date: August 15, 2011 (Monday)

Author: - Garima Sharma

REVIEW: The government’s interference in day to day routineaffairs has reached a bizarre level. It is not justified thatviewers and film-makers have to ask for any government central orstate –to preview and conclude if it is ‘safe’ for the citizens towatch when the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) hasleaved the movie.

Film-makers now expected to face policing on grounds of politicalinsensitivity, distortion of historical face or simply because thegovernment thinks that the movie can create law and ordersituations.

Dozens of examples are there when law makers have intervened toprovide ‘solutions’ which usually translate into multi-state bans.Movies like ‘Parzania’, ‘Aarakshan’, ‘Traffic Signal’ and manymore have to pass through the political eyes as they want to seeif the same is alright for mass corruption.

Thus in the name of ‘freedom’, the creative people of differentindustries are forced to experience multi-level restrictions toget the approval for their ideas.

Hypothesis

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While conducting the research, the researcher has assumed the following:

The concept of creative freedom is a mere illusion and intrue sense it does not exist in reality.

The acceptance of creativity in a society depends on thesocio – political - economic scenario of the country.

In true senses, creative freedom should be free from theunwanted restrictions.

Influential people manipulate the meaning and essence ofcreativity for their parochial interests. They also interferein the functioning the authorized agencies, formed to issueclearance certificate.

Methodology

Universe: Indian Youth (Age 15-30)

Area: Delhi

Sample size: 300

Unit of Study: Individual

Variables: a) Gender: Male and Female b) Age Group: 15 –25years c) Occupation: Students and working professionals

Sample Technique: Simple Random Sampling

Method of data collection: Questionnaire

Data Analysis and Interpretation

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The systematic tabulation and graphical presentations of the data

collected trough questionnaires helped to draw the following

conclusions:

Freedom for an Individual

Table No.1

Figure No.1

A clear majority of 74% individuals think that freedom encompassesall, i.e., the freedom to speak, express, create and think.According to 14% individuals freedom means freedom to think.For 9% of the repondents freedom stands for freedom to express.

Extent of Creative Freedom for an individual

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OptionsResponse

Percentage

Freedomto

express 27 9Freedomto speak 3 1Freedom

to create 6 2Freedomto think 42 14All ofthem 222 74

None ofthem 0 0

Options Response

Percentage

Freedom forcreative expression 24 8Freedom to create without controversy 42 14Freedom to create without fear 54 18All of them 147 49None of them 33 11

Table No.2 Figure No.2

Almost half of the total sample size (49% individuals) feels thatcreative freedom includes freedom for creative expression, feedomto create without controversay and freedom to create without fear.For 18% of the respondents safety is more important, so for themfreedom means to create without fear. 14% of the respondents donot want controversies while expressing creative freedom.

Creative Freedom in Real Life

Options Response

Yes 99

No 99

Not Sure 102

Table No.3 Figure No.3

99 repondents out of 300 believe in the presence creative freedomin real life. On the other hand, equal number of respondentsdonot feel same. 102repondents are unsure aboutthe existance of creativefreedom in real life

Necessity of CreativeFreedom

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Table No.4 Figure No.4

Majority of the respondents (82%) feel the necessity of creativefreedom in society. 36 respondents are unsure, whereas18 peopleout of 300 donot find essentiality of creative freemdom insociety.

Ambiguity in defining Creative Freedom

Table No.5 Figure No.5

Close to half of the total sample size, 47 percentage of theindividuals finds ambguity in defining creative freedom due toconventional social norms. On the contrary, 35 individuals areunsure of the same and the remaining 18 think that there is noambiguity in the existing social norms for creative freedom.

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Options

Response

Percentage

Yes 246 82

No 18 6

Not Sure 36 12

OptionsResponse Percentage

Yes 141 47No 54 18Not Sure 105 35

Creative freedom toredefine

Options

Response

Percentage

Yes 207 69No 39 13Not Sure 54 18

Table No.6

Figure No.6

Majority of the respondents, 69% of the people believe that thereis a need to redefine creativity for all creative expressions. 18%are unsure of the need while 13% do not feel any need to redefinethe same.

Freedom for Creative People

Options Response

Percentage

Yes 75 25No 174 58

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NotSure 51 17

Table No. 7 Figure No. 7

174 respondents (58%respondents) believe thatcreative people do not enjoycreative freedom in the presentscenario of the country. On theotherhand, 75 repondents thinkthat creative people enjoycreative freedom in the existing setup, whereas 51repondents arenot sure

Hindrances in Creative Freedom

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Options ResponsePercentage

PoliticalPressure 57 19Religiousissues 24 8Social Norms 27 9All of them 162 54None of them 30 10

Table No. 8 Figure No. 8

Majority of the respondents (54%) do not enjoy creative freedomdue to political pressure, social norms and religious issues ofthe country. For 57 respondents (19%) political pressure is thehindrance in enjoying freedom. According to 27 respondents, socialnorms are the obstacle in enjoying creative freedom. Surprisingly,10% of the total respondents believe that none of the mentionedfactors restrict a creative person from enjoying creative freedom.

Reasons for the Restriction on Creative Freedom

OptionsRespon

sePercentage

Sensitive

Environment 141 47

CulturalGap 60 20

SecularSociety 15 5Illitera

cy 12 4Any

other 72 24

TableNo.9

Figure No.9

Majority of the respondents (47%) justify the restrictions on theground of sensitive environment the country. 60 individuals (20%)out of 300 believe there is a need to put restriction on creativefreedom due to the existing cultural gap. As per 5% of the otaltrespondents, the secular nature of the society requires

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restrictions on creative freedom. While, 24% individuals thinkthat restrictions need to be put because of the other factorsapart from those mentioned.

Decider of Creative Freedom

OptionsResponse

Percentage

Judiciary 18 6

Politician 15 5Creativepeople 93 31Commonpeople 93 31None ofthem 24 8All ofthem 57 19

Table No.10 Figure No.10

Equal numbers of supporters (31% each) believe that creativepeople and common people should decide the extent of creativefreedom. 19% of the total respondents think that all themmentioned in the list should collectively and mutually decide theextent of creative freedom. Only 6% and 5% believe that judiciaryor politician should decide the extent of creative freedomrespectively. However, a sizable number of respondents (19%)believe that none of the mentioned should have the authority todecide the extent of creative freedom.

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Distinct definition for Creative Freedom

OptionsRespons

ePercenta

ge Yes 174 58No 69 23Notsure

57 19

Table No.11

Figure No.11

58% of the total respondents believe that there should bedifferent definitions of creative freedom for different mediums.However, 23% of the respondents are against the concept ofdifferent definitions while 19% are unsure regarding the same.

Conclusion

Before carrying out the research, the researcher has assumed thatthe concept of creative freedom is a mere illusion and it does nothave any existence in reality.After conducting a sample study,it was found that our society isunclear on the issues of theexistence of creative freedom inreality.

Earlier it was supposed that theacceptance of creativity in asociety depends on the socio – political - economic scenario.After carrying out the survey, the assumption has been found to betrue.

Prior to the research, an assumption was made by the researcherthat the influential people manipulate the meaning and essence of

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creativity to satisfy their parochial interests. After carryingout the research diligently it has been found to be true.

Although, an attempt has been to put best effort to conduct the

survey and draw a meaningful conclusion, but if the research is

conducted on a bigger scale with more time the result may vary.

Bibliography1. Gairdner, William, The Trouble with Democracy, Canada: Stoddart

Publishing Co. Ltd, 2001.

2. Kashyap, Abhinav, www.hindustantimes.com, India: HT Group, March2010.

3. India Law Journal, www. indialawjournal .com, India, Vol 4, IssueIII, July-September, 2011.

4. Kamal, Ajita, Nirmukta magazine, India: Indian Skeptic, August2010.

5. Times of India, Times News Network, Delhi Times, India, DelhiEdition, August 15, 2011.

6. Nath, Arpita, Times of India, Delhi Times, India, DelhiEdition, August 15, 2011.

7. Sharma, Garima, Times of India, Delhi Times, India, DelhiEdition, August 15, 2011.

8. Mallik, Manami, www.ibtimes.com, India: International BusinessTimes, June 9, 2011.

(The author is working as Assistant Professor in the Department of

Journalism & Mass Communication, Indira Gandhi National Tribal

University, Amarkantak, MP)

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