Kamal’s Wish-waroopam!

I have, in the past, expressed my thoughts on the entire mockery of the Censor (now Certification) Board, censorship issues and its seriousness when the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Aarakshan went through a fate similar to Vishwaroopam. While the thoughts and irking remains the same, the tamasha played out and the hardship of one of the most respected entertainer in the country made me revisit the issue.

To put things in perspective, Vishwaroopam is a well-made slick entertainer, easily comparable to international standards. To quote a review from firstpost.com – ‘Perhaps this is the first time that Kamal looks justified in his life-long obsession with the technical flourish of Hollywood’.

Does it offend Muslims? Since the plot is about an Al Qaeda attempt to explode a bomb and the protagonist’s mission to prevent it, the filmmaker ended up showing their background, training methods etc.  Unfortunately, Al Qaeda has Muslim members and they could not have shown that differently. Yes – the film could have possibly offended Jihadis and I am sure the protesters were not Jihadis.  In fact, there is a scene in the film in which the protagonist offers prayers (namaz) before he goes for the final kill. Should they not be happy as the story is about a good Muslim who takes on terrorists? 

Why did they protest? My answer is simply another question – why did they not protest vehemently in other states as they did in Tamil Nadu? Are the Muslims in Tamil Nadu different from Muslims in other States? The answer lies in the fact that Kamal gets hurt only if this movie not released or delayed in Tamil Nadu.  The impact won’t be much if it is banned elsewhere. For the record, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh have more Muslims in terms of numbers as well as percentages as compared to Tamil Nadu.

Logic behind the ban?  While the reason behind the ban in itself is debatable, what was amusing is the ‘significance of 2-week ban’. What would have happened if Kamal has not gone to High Court?  Could he have released the movie after 2 weeks?

Did protesters achieve anything in the entire process? No, would be my answer considering cutting less than 10 minutes does not change the concept. On the other hand, the movie got huge publicity in northern India and had a decent opening for its Hindi version, which would not have happened otherwise.  However, the real reason behind the protest still seems extremely unclear to me! 

Do we need a Censor Board?  In spite of the Supreme Court’s decision on ‘Aarakshan’, which stated that the UP government had no powers to suspend screening of the film on the ground that it may cause breach of peace, States continue to hold filmmakers for ransom. The latest we hear is that the Centre has set up a committee to revisit the Cinematograph Act and recommend measures to enable the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to deal with “contemporary requirements of certification”. I am certain all of us would agree that the problem in hand is not the way films are censored or the lacunae in Cinematograph Act. The problem is the harassment created by fringe groups and the onus of States to protect their filmmakers. 

Click on image to see a satirical take on
future film certification, doing rounds
on social networking sites

On a lighter note, the Committee should look at having members from all religions / castes in the censor board.  Yes, protests can emerge even from sub-sects within these religions / castes! How can we solve that problem? It’s simple - by increasing the number of members to accommodate all of them. Or – why not reservation in the censor board also so that everyone is represented!  Another option would be asking the filmmakers to show the movie first on Doordarshan and give time to viewers to object. After addressing all the objections, the film can be allowed to release. It might take a few years or it may never see the light of the day at all. But how does it matter, after all peace and harmony is solely dependent on the kind of movies being made!

Looks like these things are here to stay as the latest we hear is some Christian groups protesting against Mani Rathnam's  Kadal…… which just hit the theatres.

Do we really need a Censor Board!

For those who have been following the news about Prakash Jha’s film Aarakshan, It’s an easy guess as to what prompted me to venture into this area. The film is about various aspects of the education process, the reservation policy being just one of them. The film was banned by the State of Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. The reason for the ban is multifold – As per the Uttar Pradesh (UP) Government - the film, if released might create law and order problem in the state. As per the Andhra Pradesh government – the film may hurt the sentiments of weaker sections. The Punjab Government which banned the film initially allowed its release after the producer agreed to make certain changes to the concerned scenes. The ban across all these states is based on representations made by the SC/ST panel.

Apparently, the film has remarks about reservation system which is allegedly anti Dalit. Who decides what is anti-Dalit is of course an issue that deserves another post itself.

The biggest joke is that the UP government is banning the film for only 2 months from the date of release. In today’s digital era, with pirated DVD’s flooding the market even before a movie releases (being an eternal movie buff who loves watching movies in cinema halls – can’t still figure out, why can’t this menace be curbed) and movies being aired on satellite channels within few days of their release, which film maker in his right senses will plan a movie re-release after 2 months.

I never gave much thought to the Censor board certificate which precedes the screening of any film. The recent developments around the movie Aarakshan – got me curious enough to dig deeper into, what this Censor Board or CBFC is all about.

In layman terms, The Central Board of Film Certification (popularly known as the Censor Board or CBFC) is set up under the provisions of The Cinematograph Act, 1952. It is a government of India regulatory body under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Films can be publicly exhibited in India only after certification by the Board.

According to the Supreme Court - Film censorship becomes necessary because a film motivates thought and action and assures a high degree of attention and retention as compared to the printed word. The combination of act and speech, sight and sound in semi darkness of the theatre with elimination of all distracting ideas will have a strong impact on the minds of the viewers and can affect emotions. Therefore, it has as much potential for evil as it has for good and has an equal potential to instill or cultivate violent or good behavior. It cannot be equated with other modes of communication. Censorship by prior restraint is, therefore, not only desirable but also necessary.

Fair enough - but the only concern is if a regulatory board set up by the Government of India with 25 members give clearance to a movie, what business do these states have to ban or put an embargo on its release.

The entire visual media were airing shows on these developments with the film makers justifying the film on one side and another section defending the ban – must have clocked good TRPs. The last we hear is that the producer has approached the Supreme Court for removing the stay.

I would like to borrow the words of Komal Nahata – the famed critic’s quote on the development- "It’s politically motivated and brainless with no application of mind. When Censor Board has cleared it, why should anybody have a problem with this?"

If the government cannot uphold or protect the constitutional right of freedom of expression, why do we need such rights? Is it not the right of people to judge the merit in a film once it is cleared by the Censor board?

If the Central Government feels that the Censor Board is doing its job, they should provide protection for the peaceful release of these movies.