Controversial movie, The Wolf of Wall Street, was last week banned by The Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB). Reasons given were that it had excessive drug use, sex scenes, and vulgar language. Leonardo Decaprio, who stars in the movie, is reported to have made a public apology to all parents regarding the issue.
However, the banning of the movie has had an opposite effect from the one intended by the board. It has become more popular and raised a lot of curiosity. Many people have watched the movie just because it was banned, and a lot more a planning to. This is what Kenyan celebrities thought concerning the issue.
Ian Mbugua – As a matter of fact, the ban will have an opposite effect. The said movie is available on other platforms, so, by just banning it’s distribution and viewership will have no gainful effect to the Kenyan movie lovers. The classification board has no mandate to choose what we should or should not watch. Instead of banning the film, the board could have given the movie an age-restriction. But what it has done, it has just raised the curiosity for us to actually find the movie and watch it.
Singer and actor Avril said that she had never heard of the movie until its ban and she was going to watch it.
Avril – I will definitely look for this movie and watch it, preferably on the web. I watched its trailer and it seemed so interesting. I can’t wait!
Liz Nyagah,actress, echoed Ian Mbugua’s statement.
Lizz Nyagah – I highly doubt it will be effective, because what they have done essentially is create an interest in the movie. And the fact that people still have access to it through the torrent sites, or the pirates, anybody with half a brain can figure out a way to get a copy of the movie. As Scorsese is a great filmmaker I personally would have preferred to watch it in the cinema, and get the whole cinema experience and I have been robbed of that. I will wait to watch it out of the country.
However, House of Lungula actor Gerald Langiri said that the board had all the right to ban the movie. He also said that Kenyans would still watch the movie whether banned or not.
Gerald Langiri – The board was just exercising its mandate. It’s their work and there was nothing contrary about what they did. But the action will also raise the willingness for Kenyans to want to watch the movie…maybe to satisfy their curiosity. I saw some tweets which tried to mock the classification board by saying that if there was ever something to banned in Kenya was the House of Lungula. It was an irony. But with the ban or not, Kenyans will watch this movie.
