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Dance exponent Leela Samsons appointment as the chair of the Central Board of Film Certification has raised more than just eyebrows.

Dance exponent Leela Samsons appointment as the chair of the Central Board of Film Certification has raised more than just eyebrows.

The appointment of Bharatnatyam exponent and writer Leela Samson as the 26th chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is a significant break from tradition. She takes over from veteran actor Sharmila Tagore in a move that has brought about mixed reactions in the film industry. I am sure the film fraternity is shocked. They dont even know who I am. I havent had much time to react so far and everybody has assumed that I will be extremely happy to take on this position. I definitely have more to lose, says Samson over phone from Chennai. The danseuse was in Delhi recently for a meeting with the I&B Ministry before accepting the position.

Currently the director of Kalakshetra,an institute for classical arts founded by the Late Rukmini Devi Arundale,Samson,a 1990 Padma Shri awardee,is also the chairperson of Sangeet Natak Akademi.

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While Tagore relinquished office last Thursday,her stance at the appointment of her successor is restrained. You do not necessarily have to be associated with the film industry to be appointed to this post, she said,adding that she had suggested the names of Tom Alter,Sandip Ray and Rahul Bose,since everyone was baying for young blood. She candidly adds,There is a difference between censoring films and working at Kalakshetra. One requires a different sensibility to take charge of this position. Initially,Samson will have to win peoples hearts at the Censor Board and then things will iron out, she adds.

As far as sensibility to judge films is concerned,Samson says,There is a lack of dialogue between the two genres classical dance and cinema. But there is no reason why one should be exclusive of the other since it all stems from the same sanskar.

On the other hand,Bharatnatayam exponent Malavika Sarrukai feels that Samson is being burdened with a huge responsibility. This position comes with expectations from a fraternity she has not really worked with. She already has Kalakshetra and SNA to handle. This will require a lot of energy from Leela and we just have to wait and watch, she says.

Not oblivious to the uncertainty of voices around her,Samson agrees that she has her hands full with the chairmanship of two very important organisations that require her undivided attention. With the kind of commitment and responsibility I have towards these organisations,being a Censor Board chairperson will add much more to the work load and that has me thinking. I am hoping for the best judgment to prevail. says Samson.

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On her side are those who refuse to be skeptical. National Award-winning filmmaker Shyam Benegal believes that knowledge of cinema is not required to take up this post since there are designated guidelines for censoring films. A Censor Board chief does not critique films,their job is to ensure the sensibilities of the film fall within the prescribed guidelines. As long as a person has an open and liberal mindset,there should be no hassles, says Benegal.

Debesh Banerjee