interview
'At Times We Are Unable To Certify Nice Films'
The chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification says it is time to give serious thought to exhibiting some films without any cuts.
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film: censor
It's time 'mature adults' censored the censors
Anuradha Raman
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Last year, the chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification, Sharmila Tagore, was miffed at the manner in which Union I&B minister Priyaranjan Das Munshi appropriated the board's main task of certifying films. Now, with just a month to go before her tenure comes to an end, Sharmila tells Outlook that it's time to give serious thought to her proposal of exhibiting some films without subjecting them to censorship rules. Excerpts from the interview.
Your tenure ends next month. What are the changes you've suggested to make the board more in tune with the times?
For one, I think the categorisation of films into U, UA, and A requires a little rethink. We need another category for the 15-18-year-olds, as opposed to clubbing all of them from 12-18 into the UA category. That is one area we need to look into and I think it will be accepted. Another area which requires serious thought is improving infrastructure.
The board has always been caught in a time-warp when it comes to certifying films. What prompts the change in thinking now?
There are some very nice films which we are unable to certify without cuts, despite being cerebral and aesthetically well-made. Take for instance, Closer. It is mainly a dialogue on relationships, and not like other films where a cut wouldn't affect the rest of the movie. If we had effected a cut in this movie, there would have been little meaning left. But we did suggest some cuts and the producer did not agree, and we couldn't release the film. Besides, when we certify films, we have to bear in mind that they could be dubbed into other Indian languages, and the mind boggles at the thought of a film like Closer being dubbed in Hindi.
There has been some talk of the censor board allowing the screening of adult films uncensored, in designated theatres. How do you propose to exhibit them?
We felt hugely challenged by Closer and wondered whether there was any way of showing it. We found it could not be done commercially, and we couldn't issue it an all-India certificate. There is a thought that the exhibition of good films like this be allowed in special theatres, but I need to back it with logistics also.
Much before you, Vijay Anand as the censor board chairman had suggested special theatres for the screening of adult films but had to step down when the i&b ministry disagreed with him. You seem to be suggesting the same thing.
You know, I thought about it and felt that the suggestions were good. But they should have been structured in a different way. We have to ensure that our actions are not discriminatory in any manner. We are thinking about it.
Why is certification and censorship such a touchy issue?
We are talking about an India which is very complex. Take the case of Bow Barracks Forever, where I got a letter from the Anglo-Indian Association complaining about the depiction of the Anglo-Indian community. I have read the script and I am aware of the screenplay, but some people saw just the negative side or rather chose to look at it negatively. There was so much protest. Sometimes, these issues are exploited by vested interest groups.
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film: censor
It's time 'mature adults' censored the censors
Anuradha Raman
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