Events & Issues
26 January 2015, New
Delhi
CBFC Drama
CUTTING CENSOR TO SIZE?
By Nikhil Gajendragadkar
The Central
government recently ‘restructured’ the Censor Board of India by appointing
people loyal to either the BJP or RSS ideology. Last week, en mass resignations,
allegations and counter allegations, have all brought into the open the murky
state of affairs at the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The recent
imbroglio caused by certification of a film has underlined the chaotic state of
film censoring in India.
The issue also highlights high-handedness of the Government and interference of
non-artistic elements in the routine work of a prominent authority. Is politics
at work here?
Pahlaj
Nihalani now heads the CBFC, or the Censor Board, as popularly known in India. This
appointment took in less than a day after the entire Board tendered
resignation. New appointees are carefully chosen by the Central Government thereby
ensuring that no note of dissent will emerge from the new Board.
Pahlaj Nihalani
is not a top ranked producer-director, but he made a six minute campaign video
in the run-up to last Lok Sabha election for Narendra Modi. This qualification
is enough to be the chairperson of a premier body! Other members include an
editor of a Marathi weekly, ‘Vivek’ which
propagates views of BJP and its parent organisation, RSS, and has edited a book
on former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a director from Assam who was
also a BJP candidate in the last Lok Sabha elections, a script writer who has
written a script on Modi, Vice Chancellor of the Central University of Gujarat,
Modi’s home State and so forth.
The outrage
against a Hindi film ‘PK’, starring
Amir Khan, seen at the end of the last year is yet to die down and India is
witnessing one more controversy born out of another film. Last December, the
big question was why ‘PK’ has been
granted a certificate and now the question is ‘why a certificate is being
denied’ to ‘MSG’. In both cases the onus
is on the ‘Central Board of Film Certification’.
‘MSG-Messenger of God’ is a new film featuring Gurmeet Ram
Rahim Singh Insaan, also known as Baba Ram Rahim. He is a self-styled godman
and very popular in North India, particularly in Punjab
and Haryana. He is the supreme leader of a cult called ‘Dera Sacha Sauda’ which
enjoys a following of millions in these two States and adjoining areas. As the
name suggests he is not affiliated to any religion, so both Ram and Rahim
are part of his name, Insaan means ‘Human’. He decided to appear in
a film, perhaps to promote his brand of humanism.
CBFC denied
passage of the film, on grounds that the film depicts him as the god and hence
promotes superstition. As per various news reports, the CBFC apparently
referred the issue to the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal which gave the filmmakers
clearance on certain conditions.
This led to
the resignation of CBFC chairperson Leela Samson. Though she did not cite this
controversy as the reason, she did mention, according to media reports,
“interference, coercion, and corruption of panel members and officers of the
organisation who are appointed by the ministry”. Soon other nine members also
submitted their resignations and accused the Government of being “cavalier and
dismissive.”
As the name
of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry came up, Minister Arun Jaitley
retorted through twitter. He called them “rebels without a cause” and described
Leela Samson as “non-functional chairperson”. Further, he has stated that the
chairperson never brought to his notice any incident of corruption. He has
blamed her and the Board members for not conducting meetings on regular basis
and has clarified that there is no shortage of funds as alleged by Samson.
According to Jaitley everybody has the right to approach the appellate body, as
per rules and procedures.
All this is
excellent material for scandal mongering media, so the fight made headlines.
But in the din major points have sadly been overlooked. Members of CBFC are
supposed to be reputed people from all walks of life. But the Board is ‘run’ by
officers and governed by the I&B Ministry, i.e. the Government itself.
There are regional boards too. Therefore, one has to pass through an
organisational labyrinth to get a certificate for his/her film. This leads to
corruption. Recall, former CEO of the Board Rakesh Kumar was arrested last
August for asking for a hefty bribe to clear a film. The question is, whether
the chairperson of the Board is free to take decisions related to finance?
It is easy
to say that the Board should function on the basis of guidelines. But framing
guidelines is not easy in India.
A parameter which is acceptable for a certain community or group can be
offensive to another community or group. Further, caste is a major force, both socially
and politically. So any group or organisation or cult or caste based group can
allege that a film or a part of it or just a scene or a dialogue (sometimes even
a word) has hurt their ‘feelings’. These feelings can be ‘religious’ too and
may even apply to a book or a painting. We mustn’t forget that ‘right wing’
organisations, having allegiance to the ‘Hindutva’ ideology, forced world
renowned painter M F Hussain to flee India.
A government
or the party in power at any given time may change its stance and its reaction
to an incident may vary, because political mileage weighs heavy over artistic
expression. This is exactly the case of Ram Rahim’s film. Last year, the BJP
won Assembly elections in Haryana and for the first time, could form their
government. Ram Rahim had announced his ‘backing’ to BJP, which might have helped
turn many followers towards the BJP.
For the ruling
BJP at the Centre giving clearance to his film is a way of saying ‘thank you’.
Can anybody call an act of gratitude as “undue” favour? The person who says so should quit any post
or position offered by the Government. This is what has happened here.
Interference and coercion may have taken place indirectly.
After much
publicised resignation drama, the Government or I&B ministry moved swiftly
to select a new panel. Looking at the list of the new CBFC it is very clear
that the Modi government wants to put in place its own ‘agenda’--related to
Cinema-- most probably it is defined by RSS. This is nothing short of gagging
artistic expression.
If the
argument that once the Censor Board has given its decision it should be
respected by all, is applicable in the case of PK, then why the Board’s decision was overturned, that too so
speedily, in the case of ‘MSG’?
CBFC should,
rather must be allowed to do its work, that too freely. The Board should
classify a film based on its content. Criteria should be artistic and
cinematic. It should specify appropriate age for viewing a film and advice
people so. The Government also must not interfere if it wants to uphold the
principle of ‘freedom of speech’ and ‘expression’. But in the spate of ‘modification’
of every other institution it seems a distant possibility.—INFA
(Copyright, India
News & Feature Alliance)
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