Coming soon: Cuts by babus

Babus of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry will soon be screening films and music videos before certifying them fit for public viewi...

Babus of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry will soon be screening films and music videos before certifying them fit for public viewing. Bound by a recent high court order, making it mandatory for videos to be certified before being aired on television and screened in theatres, the I038;B Ministry has directed the surplus staff in the Films Division to do the needful. 8216;8216;It is a temporary solution,8217;8217; officials said.

The Delhi office of the Censor Board is sitting on close to 250 films/music videos because of a lack of staff. The story is similar at the Mumbai office, where nearly 60 posts have to be filled up. About 20 vacant seats in each of the remaining seven regional offices of the board are also waiting to be filled up. In a country where close to 900 films and 1000 music videos are made each year, a fully staffed board is a must.

Eventually however, these posts will be filled up according to the present Government8217;s choice, though the rules state otherwise. The chairperson gets to appoint people to 3/4 of the posts, while the remaining posts are filled up by people chosen by the government.

Despite eight reminders from Anupam Kher, the Ministry ignored his 120-member list recommended for vacant posts in the nine regional offices before he was sacked.

An exercise is currently on, to review the Cinematography Act, which is being carried out in consultation with industry professionals. Under review is the current form of certification. Whether a more exhaustive system like the one in existence in the US for example is required, is being examined. Topmost on the agenda however, is the issue of fortifying the post of the board8217;s chairperson and preventing it from becoming a hostage of successive regimes.

Incidentally, there is very little I038;B can do in the case of Children8217;s Film Society of India chairperson Raveena Tandon, who, with a three-year tenure, is secure for another two years in accordance with the Act governing the society.