CBFC wings clipped- a welcome change

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n what could be a historical decision for our overly cultured Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and bring a huge relief for the Indian movie audience, a committee headed by filmmaker Shyam Benegal has recommended the CBFC to only stick to certifying films for audience groups based on their age and maturity, thereby taking away its power to cut any scene or sequence of a film.

There are recommendations for multiple new categories like breaking the UA Category into UA12+ & UA15+. It also recommended dividing the Adult (A) category into A and AC (Adult with Caution) categories.

The CBFC however can refuse certification if a film contains anything that contravenes the provisions of section 5B (1) of the Cinematograph Act, 1952, i.e., against ‘the interests of [the sovereignty and integrity of India] the security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or morality, or involves defamation or contempt of court’.

The committee was formed in January 1 after  growing unrest caused by the current CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani’s constant overstepping his line of duty by censoring movies rather than certifying them to maintain ‘Indian Culture’.

Whether it is the swear words or nudity, the ‘censor board’ has time and again sliced them from the reel even when the situation demanded it. The demand of so many language cuts have even led to many movies being shelved.

To start with, the censoring of the kissing scene in the latest James Bond film, Spectre, was a subject of much laughter in the social media for online bloggers and pro Twitterers.

Nudity and violence are still a no-no in Indian cinema, which has prevented many Hollywood movies from featuring in the Indian big screen. Fifty Shades of Grey, the blockbuster BDSM romance, did not pass the CBFC’s test. The sequel to the stripper movie Magic Mike, featuring Channing Tatum as a burlesque artist, didn’t come to India.

Adult comedy, which has been a big hit oversees, has failed to make a mark in India due to CBFC’s self proclaimed duty to bring ‘morality and entertainment’ to Indian audience.  Some examples are Masti, Grand Masti, Kya Kool Hain Hum and Maastizaade, where innumerable cuts have been made because the CBFC is of the view that Indian citizen who can drive, vote and marry will lose their culture if they happen to see men indulging in extramarital affairs or running after buxom women.

The record of the cuts put on Tarantino’s ‘Hateful eight’.

The cuts ordered in Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Hateful Eight’ by CBFC were released online in January. The Indian version was the standard 167-minute-long one, where the longer version with an opening overture and a 12-minute interval was screened around the world.

Of the 167 minutes, the list available indicates that 1.34 minutes have been slashed. Here’s a reminder of what the Indian audience don’t get to see and the CBFC thinks will rob them off their culture.

The committee have submitted its recommendations to information and broadcasting minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday. Other members of the committee included actor Kamal Hassan, filmmakers Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra and Goutam Ghose, advertising guru Piyush Pandey, film journalist Bhawana Somaaya, National Film Development Corporation managing director Nina Lath Gupta and K Sanjay Murthy, joint secretary (films) in the I&B ministry.