Film certification guidelines need a contemporary interpretation and they should be non- discretionary as much as possible to ensure that artistic creativity and freedom of expression remain uncurtailed, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley said on Saturday.
He was speaking at his first meeting with the Shyam Benegal Committee, set up to revamp the controversy-prone Censor Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
In the two-hour interaction at the Taj Mahal Hotel in South Mumbai, Mr Jaitley said that in most countries, there is a mechanism for certifying films and documentaries, but it has to be ensured that artistic creativity and freedom do not get curtailed.
Speaking to The Hindu later, Mr Benegal said the meeting was a preliminary one, held by the ministry to brief the committee about revamping the censorship guidelines, and the working of the CBFC. “Over the years, generations change, entertainment ideas change, and the censor guidelines need to be in tune with these changes. So, guidelines need to be looked at, administering the institution needs to be looked at,” he said.
Minister of State for I & B Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore, and I & B Secretary Sunil Arora were also present at the meeting along with all six members of the committee including Mr Benegal, film-maker. Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra, advertising guru Piyush Pandey, film journalist. Bhawana Somaiyaa, NFDC Managing Director Nina Lath Gupta and Joint Secretary, Films, Sanjay Murthy. The committee was appointed on January 1.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Col. Rathore said, “The government does not want to decide what people should watch or not watch. The CBFC must decide that. Structuring and administration process of CBFC needs to be looked at and amended if necessary.” He said the committee should provide a holistic framework for interpretation of the Cinematograph Act provisions for the benefit of the CBFC chairperson and the members of the Board’s screening committee.
Two month deadline
Col. Rathore said the committee has been given a timeframe of two months to study different aspects, and take suggestions from all stakeholders. “The government is guided by social considerations and there are two stakeholders here — those that make films, exhibit and distribute them, and those who watch films. The ministry has already communicated with the filmmaking stakeholders, inviting their specific suggestions. Our committee needs to meet and decided ways and means of engaging with the film viewing audiences who come from diverse socio-economic and cultural backgrounds,” Mr Benegal said.
“Completing our task within two months is going to be tough, but what needs to be constantly stressed is that it [CBFC] is not a censoring board, it is a certification board. There is a need to move towards a new system of grading films in terms of age, maturity, sensibility and sensitivity without the application of scissors,” he said.
The Benegal committee will study the existing CBFC procedure for certification of original films, their dubbed versions, as well as recertification of films for screening on other media platforms. The panel will also study various court directives, notifications issued by ministries like Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Ministry of Environment & Forests, Animal Welfare Board of India etc. which have a bearing on the process of film certification. It is also expected to recommend a framework of making the CBFC more transparent and its services more user-friendly.
> Benegal committee’s appointment comes in the wake of huge controversies generated by the Pahlaj Nihalani-headed CBFC in 2015 ranging from a > list of cuss-words to be banned , and > cutting out kissing scenes from the James Bond flick, Spectre .
