Snipers and snippers

It will be a great pity if the resignation of Central Board of Film Certification chief Vijay Anand means that the Board is back to smug-and...

It will be a great pity if the resignation of Central Board of Film Certification chief Vijay Anand means that the Board is back to smug-and-fossilised square one. Going by the signs so far, that is precisely the direction in which it is headed.

Only days after Anand stepped down after a showdown with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, newly appointed acting chairman of the Board and former BJP MP, Arvind Trivedi, has declared his intent to work within the parameters set by the board while keeping in mind the country8217;s age-old traditions. For good measure, he has also expressed his strong belief that 8216;8216;we need not follow western cultures but would rather prefer the reverse8217;8217;.

It is obvious that Anand8217;s efforts to rethink the parameters of the Board8217;s authority and to bring censorship guidelines more in sync with the times, are to be given an unceremonious burial. Any stirrings of change are to be smothered once more under the opaque certitude of 8216;Indian tradition8217;.

The immediate provocation for Anand8217;s exit is his proposal to reform the rules governing pornographic films. Given the flourishing trade in X-rated films 8212; despite the censor8217;s scissors, and in brazen mockery of the law 8212; Anand had suggested that these films be taxed heavily and screened in special cinema halls. The ministry disagreed. But more than that, it was reportedly unwilling to allow Anand8217;s proposals to be even discussed. Whatever their merit, Anand8217;s proposals were only recommendatory in nature; they could have kickstarted a long overdue public debate, within Parliament and outside it. Moreover, the guidelines on pornography were part of a larger agenda of change. Anand also spoke about achieving greater autonomy of the Board from political interference, and upgrading its work culture.

Anecdotes of the Censor Board8217;s arbitrariness and double standards are legion. Filmmakers ranging from the established names like Shekhar Kapoor to new kid on the block Anurag Kashyap can testify to the fact that the Board has settled into a time warp, that it is blind to all change. In his tenure, Anand tried to get a debate going on the need to bring about more transparency and to frame a Cinematograph Act 2002 which could take over from the existing relic of 1952 vintage. That effort deserves to outlive Anand8217;s abbreviated tenure.