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Why was the new Tamil movie, Sengadal (Dead Sea), about a journalist’s quest to profile the travails of fishermen from Tamil Nadu and refugees fleeing Sri Lanka, refused a rating by the Chennai Regional Censor Board?
Was it because the Board “was unhappy with the filmmaker's critical views on Sri Lankan government and their alleged atrocities against Tamils”, as the Daily Mirror reported?
The plot synopsis, however, underlines a different discomfort: the film’s depiction of the Indian and Tamil Nadu governments' role.
The film was directed by Leena Manimekalai, an independent film maker known for her documentaries, short and experimental films.
Supported with a grant by the US-based philanthropic organisation, Global Film Initiative, the film's actors are mainly refugees in Rameswaram's camps and local fishermen.
See Indian Express's report on the film's making here, stills from the film here, and pictures of the filming here.