‘Censor Board must be freed from the Govt’s clutches’

• A Censor Board chairman should look out for the interests of the viewer, and maybe the film fraternity, instead of pandering to the whims of the government. While Asha Parekh showed a BJP-bias, Sharmila Tagore is coming across as pro-Congress. Please comment.
Raj Pandey

I think one needs to understand how the Board is appointed. The post of the Censor Board chairman, unfortunately, is a political appointment, with some of the members being nominated by the ruling government. Having said that, I must add, during my entire tenure, there was not a single interference in any decision taken by me as chairman of the Board. I did not have to listen to any minister or bureaucrat and I don’t see why others can’t do the same. I also think the Board is appointed to take all the diverse interests that the country represents and it should take that into consideration. It is absurd to have rules that support only a section of the society.

• Does your resignation from the National School of Drama have anything to do with your ouster from the Censor Board?
Bal Govind

On the contrary, my resignation was prompted by the moral ground I chose to occupy. As a senior alumnus of the NSD, I did not want to betray the values I have grown up with or the teachers who instilled them in me. I did chance upon some reports that suggested that teachers and students rejoiced on the day I resigned. I found them in poor taste for I regarded myself not only as chairman but also as a student of the school I was called to administer. I chose to listen to my conscience. It was an ethical issue.

• Do you see a need to protect academic/ creative institutions, like the NSD for example and even organisations like the Censor Board, from undue government interference? How do you think we should go about it?
Brinda Rai

I don’t think the government interferes in the day-to-day functioning of the National School of Drama which is insulated from the powers that be. What it needs is a person with a vision like Alkazi to administer it, someone who will see the chair as an instrument for innovation and change. The Censor Board, on the other hand, unfortunately, has become an agenda of the ruling government, whether covertly or overtly, and has to be freed from the clutches of the government.

• Sometimes, although a film is passed by the censors, some scenes are very vulgar. Are there no guidelines to check this? What is your experience in certifying such films/ scenes?
Mahesh S

The current law book of the Censor Board needs a thorough review. The guidelines have to reviewed taking into view the changing times and selection of the Censor Board members have to be done with great care. Choosing the right people would go a long way in ensuring that films are certified appropriately. During my one-year tenure, I had recommended names of people from all walks of life after selecting them with care — doctors, writers, journalists and social workers. That list is still with the Information and Broadcasting Ministry. Not a single name on the list has been accepted. I even sent 10 written reminders to the ministry, before the government booted me out.

• Do you think the performing arts can be better promoted through inculcating a profit motive behind the guidance? What about those who are talented but don’t have funds for high-end acting schools?
Gaurav Dua

Every performing art should fetch returns, money and fame are part of the show. The notion of art for art’s sake is Utopian at best. As for those who are talented but don’t have the funds, life is a struggle where everybody makes it on his own, talent included. You cannot shout from the rooftops that I am talented and not getting work. One has to work hard to achieve the goals in life.