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By:
Thank God Thomas Alva Edison is no more now. All the confusion besetting the Censor Board would have turned him mad if he were alive.
Censor Board's confusions are so confounding.
About two and half crore people watch cinema in about 15000 cinema halls in India.
A child bearing woman necessarily needs nursing home to give birth to her baby. Similarly even if a producer-director team comes out with a film, how it has to be done is decided by the scissors in the hands of the Censor Board.
What was the 'Central Board of Film Censor' was changed into 'Central Board of Film Certification' by L K Advani. Advani made this change when he was the Information and Broadcasting Minister in the cabinet of Morarji Desai.
In those days it was Chennai City Police Commissioner who had the censoring control over the Tamil films. Later a committee was formed for this purpose.
To be eligible, the committee members need to have good knowledge about film technology and the society. But today if you raise this question, the answer will come after a long time.
Most members in the Censor Board are there because of their social standing. In their whim and fancy they can decide that something is vulgar and something is not. The films that get released today are the standing example of their censoring capability, say some.
Many think that Censor Board's function is only to cut the vulgar scenes. But if one gets into the Censor Board's parameters, there is a long list.
There are four certifications called U, A, U/A and S. U is universal. A is for adults only. U/A means children can watch with parental guidance. S means a special audience including doctors.
Censor Board's guidelines point out restricting antinational sentiments, scenes that discriminates a section of the society, injuring children's minds, violence, murders, vulgarity, dialogues with double meanings, abusing women and abuse of children or physically challenged persons.
Close your eyes and think if any film is without any of the above, and you can catch the Censor Board napping.
It makes an ordinary cinema audience wonder why Censor Board gets activated in blocking some films and makes a hub hub about it.
The reasons are that Censor Board gets agitated over the Women's organizations protest over vulgarity, parties that protest over casteist title and associations that clamour over denigrating their profession.
It's the film producers who get caught between the Censor Board and the agitations. If the scissored portions were joined and exhibited, the punishment is three years imprisonment and Rs.1 lakh fine or cumulatively both, according to the Censor's rules.
One wonders why the Censor allows those scenes that ought to have been cut. Examples are plenty: the close scenes and dialogues in 'Boys'; the song sequence "use pannuda ennai use pannuda" in 'Kaadal Seyya Virumbu'; the song sequence "Katipudi Kattipudida" in 'Kushi' and the instructions to Namitha on how to play a game in 'Bambarakkannale' released recently.
Let us examine how a film is evaluated for certification.
The Censor Board members receive the invitations 24 hours before screening of a film. Four members will be invited to attend the show individually to a particular screening theatre. They don't know who the others are.
There is no opportunity for them to learn about what film is being screened even five minutes before the start. A few minutes before, the Censor guidelines will be given to them containing whose production the film is and who are the actors
The cut sheets will also be given to them to indicate which scenes are to be cut. As the film runs, they will mark the dialogues and scenes to be censored. Even while watching the film, the members will be seated in different places.
The members are expected to generally indicate the kind of certification to be given to the film. There will be a common discussion after that. If there is no dispute, the producers will be given the certification.
If there is a dispute, the producer and director will be called for a discussion. Some times there will be arguments that what is shown is very much needed for the angle of the film.
Only when there is a consensus among the members after a discussion, the scenes will be allowed. No certification will be given even if one member disagrees.
How films with blatant vulgarity are certified when there are iron clad rules, is something known only to the Censor Board.
The John Abraham directed film "Agraharathil oru Kazhudai' got released in 1973. It is a laughing matter even today the way the Government and the Censor Board got confused over it.
The film got the Censor Certificate and went on to win the National Award. But it was banned from TV.
On the other hand, even with Censor Certification the films that criticize the government rarely get the chance of a second round. Examples: K. Balachander's 'Thanneer Thanneer' and Sridhar Rajan's 'Kann Sivandhal Mann Sivakkum'.
If the scenes and dialogues are treated like this, the treatment that songs get, are totally different. Even before the film gets released, the songs are released. Vulgar songs with double meaning words become popular even before the release of the film. There are occasions that such songs may be removed from the final film, but what to say about the lyrics and tunes that have already been made popular?
There is yet another comedy about the Censor. Some songs whose lyrics are felt suggestive may be substituted with different words by the Censor. But how come they allow songs that are more than suggestive? For example: 'Epaadi eppadi samanjadhu eppadi.' 'Nethu raathri amma..' 'Aathaa aathorama vaariyaa…'
Like the judiciary, there are levels even in Censor Board. A producer can request a review committee to view the film if he disagrees with the Censor Board's suggestions. If they find it valid, they can recommend the case to the Tribunal in Delhi.
In which case, is the Censor Board mad? If they have empowered the Tribunal to pass a judgment on the Censor Board, are they mad to give them the power? The questions are endless.
Not stopping with such controversies, they have brought in ban on the scenes showing smoking.
It is a case for a psychiatrist if one goes deep into examining the goings on at the Censor Board.
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-10.12.2005
