Actual footage from sleazy C grade films used in Ashim Ahluwalia's Miss Lovely Nawaazuddin Siddique's
Believe it or not, actual footage from sleazy, C-grade films has been used in Ashim Ahluwalia's film Miss Lovely! The film has been cleared by the Indian Censor Board with an 'Adult' certificate.Miss Lovely revolves around the destructive relationship between two brothers, played by Nawazuddin Siddique and Anil George, who make sleazy, C-grade films in the 1980s in Mumbai.
Regarding the use of actual footage from C-grade films in the movie, debutant director Ashim says, "Instead of trying to recreate these sex-horror films, I just felt that it would be more authentic and genuine to use footage from real C-grade films from that era. It's almost impossible to recreate the weirdness, wildness, and sleaziness of the original films."
It was not an easy task to procure and use footage from old C-grade films. Ashim explains, "I had spent a lot of time researching the horror-porn industry in Mumbai so I managed to talk to producers and directors to let me use portions of their old films. We had to restore many of the original negatives as they were really damaged. They were pretty shocked that anyone could be interested in these forgotten films."
Ashim never intended Miss Lovely to be a family film and is happy that the film has finally been cleared with a few cuts and blurs and an 'Adult' certificate. He says, "I wanted the audience to see Miss Lovely uncut, the way it was made. It's not family entertainment - the subject is quite dark and there is a lot of sexuality and violence. There is some pretty wild footage from real C-grade films that we used as part of our film so an 'Adult' certificate is fitting for us."
Miss Lovely has been acclaimed and applauded at the Cannes Film Festival and other prestigious film festivals worldwide. The movie stars Nawazuddin Siddique, Niharika Singh and Anil George in leading roles. It will release on January 17, 2014.
