Reel Deal

With Sharmila Tagore’s term as the chairman of Central Board of Film Certification coming to an end by March 31,there has been considerable buzz about who her successor would be. Actor Shabana Azmi and lyricist-composer Gulzar,considered strong probables till a few days back,have been currently overshadowed by rumours that it could even be director Ramesh Sippy,of Sholay fame. “We believe that Azmi will not be the best option,as she is an actress. A director’s sensibilities and aesthetics are more suited for this post. They have a more mature understanding of the content of a film,” said a reliable source from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting,who did not wish to be named. The Joint Secretary (Films),DP Reddy,in the Ministry of I&B was unreachable for comment despite several calls made to his office.

Even though Tagore’s tenure ended on February 5,she was asked to stay on till March 31. By then the Ministry hopes to make a new appointment. Tagore’s tenure was a significant one,as several controversial decisions were taken during it — including clearing Anurag Kashyap’s Dev D with an A certificate and more recently Sudhir Mishra’s Yeh Saali Zindagi,where an objection was raised by Tagore over the use of the word ‘Saali’ in the title.

The much respected and elegant actor is an exception among former occupants of the post that have usually been noted film directors. Her predecessors include Shakti Samanta and Vijay Anand.