Indian film turns spotlight on racism in Oz

A controversial Indian filmmaker plans to start shooting a film on racial discrimination on the sly in Melbourne this month, according to Indian media reports.

The film, Crook: It’s Good to Be Bad, sets out to shed light on racism in Australia. Producer Mahesh Bhatt told the Calcutta Tube that the film traces a young boy’s journey from apathy to sensitivity about the way young students are treated abroad.

“[The film] chronicles the journey of an indifferent young Indian who believes in the ‘I, me, myself’’ creed, until the guy gets sucked into the quagmire of hate when racial war breaks out in Australia,” he said.

The film’s director, Mohit Suri, told the Indian media he wanted to shoot in Melbourne as “that’s where the entire heart of the problem was”.

But Simon Whipp, national director of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA), said they were unaware of the filming in Australia and would alert the Department of Immigration.

“If they are bringing in crew from overseas they would have to go through us and they have not done so yet,” Mr Whipp said.

International performers and crew are required to consult with the MEAA first to comply with Australian immigration regulations.

The film, slated for release in the second half of this year, is cashing in on the recent spate of racial attacks against Indian students in Australia.

Gautam Gupta, founder of the Federation of Indian Students of Australia, said if the film could not be shot in Melbourne it would lose its authenticity.

“No one is blaming Australia for being racist; reality is there are elements of racism in life and you cannot live without finding them,” he said.

“How the hell do we hide reality? It is not possible. If Indians are being targeted due to ‘curry-bashing’, how can that not be articulated? I will give my 110 per cent support to the film if the script is right.”

Mr Whipp said it was not the role of the MEAA to have a say on the content of the film, unless it clearly broke Australian law.

Student visa applications from Indian students fell dramatically by 46 per cent between July and October 2009, according to Department of Immigration and Citizenship data. This followed a wave of negative publicity about Australia in the Indian media.

Crook: It’s Good To Be Back, which stars Emraan Hashmi and newcomer Neha Sharma, is currently shooting its song and action sequences in Cape Town, South Africa.

– By Menreet Kaur