Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) tightens the noose

Race 2

Even after certain objectionable scenes that were blurred in the recently released Koyelaanchal, the Central Board of Film Certification felt that the film-maker had toed the line, since the scene showing frontal nudity was quite visible despite the blur.
According to an official spokesperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) “Blurring is not effective. What we see during the initial screening and what comes out in the theatres is different. We watch the film on a 50/45 inch screen, but in the theatres where the light effect is at a different level, the blurred scene does not look good at the technical level too. Regarding raunchy dialogues, we have asked the maker to either mute them or edit them completely,” he said.
The decision, according to the spokesperson, is taken by a four member team with an officer, either through a majority or unanimously. The spokesperson feels that although a hue and cry is raised because of these, it does not make a difference to the ultimate product, because from a 120-140 minute footage, the Board only asks to edit a 10-15 second portion.
Several recently released films like The Jackpot and The Expose faced the axe from the CBFC, and several objectionable scenes had to be changed. “In The Expose we did cut certain scenes but certain scenes remained. After giving instructions, we do cross check to see whether our instructions have been carried out successfully,” says the spokesperson.
So, while the board concedes that this is a democratic country, it also feels that, the creative processes have certain responsibilities and film-makers should pay heed to make sure that sentiments are not hurt. “The telecast of Race 2 was not allowed on National network as we felt that the film was not worth screening on such a huge platform. The makers did go to the Tribunal, but their plea was rejected. We have to take into account 100 per cent of the populace rather the minuscule 10 per cent who no doubt have access to YouTube and the internet,” opined the CBFC spokesperson.