As many as 47 of the 108 advisers appointed to the Delhi regional office of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry belong to the Bharatiya Janata Party. The role as advisers give them a chance to spell out their vision of proper cinema and entertainment.
As the United Progressive Alliance before, the BJP has stacked the CBFC’s advisory panel with members drawn from its rank and file. They will not only watch films but also recommend cuts, if need be. The members have been drawn from the BJP’s intellectual cell, Mahila Morcha, human rights cell, IT cell and Purvanchal Morcha.
Pavan Monga, secretary of the BJP in Delhi, says: “I agree 100 per cent with censorship as youth and children who watch films must be protected from controversial content.” He feels that actors Sharukh Khan and Aamir Khar should have not spoken out at all about the political atmosphere in the country.
As for the decision to pack the advisory panel with so many people at one go, officials explain that the posts fell vacant. “This is a consultative process, and appointments have been made with the approval of the CBFC chairperson,” officials in the Ministry said.
CBFC chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani says he had no choice in the appointments for the Delhi regional office as he does not know enough people in Delhi. He has been in the news for recommending cuts to the recent James Bond movie, Spectre.
“The members will work under me but they have been chosen by the Ministry,” he says. Mr. Nihalani attributes the large number of appointments to the Delhi office to the number of Punjabi films the advisory board members are required to certify. “The idea of having so many members is to ensure that movies can be rotated among them and not be confined to a few.” He has recommended more than 170 names to the Mumbai office.
