The Censor Nama

The panelists will include filmmaker Shyam Benegal,director Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra and ad guru Prahlad Kakkar among others. It will also be the first official meeting with new censor board Chairperson Leela Samson,a Bharatnatyam dancer. “This seminar will serve as a platform through which the CBFC and members of the film fraternity can iron out their differences. The former wants to engage in a consultative process with directors and understand how far its directives impinge upon their creativity,” explains Amita Sarkar,senior director at Confederation of Indian Industries,which is co-hosting the seminar.

The changes have been in the pipeline for eight years. In 2002,Vijay Anand,the then CBFC Chairperson,suggested an overhaul of the Act. Last year,former Chairperson Sharmila Tagore suggested introducing a 15 + rating for films. At present,four ratings exist — U,U/A,A and S,(meaning ‘specific occupational group’,which involves films meant for a particular group of professionals like doctors).

Benegal,who will be moderating a session on “respecting sensibilities” at the seminar,feels that the issue is not just about introducing another rating. “The standards for judging TV and cinema are different. We need to resolve that first. What gets censored for a theatre audience,gets passed for TV,where the viewership is higher,” says the filmmaker.

Kakkar feels the Censor Board needs legal teeth to take decisions with greater autonomy. “Right now,vested interests are calling the shots in certifying a film. Anybody can raise their voice against a subject of a film and the Board is forced to take sides,” says Kakkar,a jury member at the 58th National Film Awards.

Another grey area is whether the same rules apply while certifying documentaries as well as films. Benegal objects to this,saying that documentaries,by their very nature,are “raw and non-fictional”. Anand Patwardhahan’s 2002 documentary War and Peace ,faced possibility of 21 cuts at the hands of the CBFC.

Another concern to be discussed at the seminar,will be scenes referring to particular communities. At times,the Board asks for cuts and changes in portions that refer to a community. “For Delhi 6,I had to fight a battle with the Censor Board for referring to the lower-caste community. But it was a necessary part of the story and intended to create awareness about plight of untouchables. Such matters require sensitive handling,” he says. Some were not that lucky. In 2009,Priyadarshan’s film,initially titled Billu Barber,ran into controversy after objections raised by Salon and Beauty Parlour associations. The film was forced to drop ‘Barber’ from its title.

There has also been a cry for doing away with censorship entirely,and introducing “self-censorship”. Mehra,however,argues that,“It will only cause anarchy”. He adds,“There has to be a governing body with discretionary powers over what is suitable and what is not. But the intention of the filmmaker has to kept in mind.”