Is there still a need for the censor board?

If only Khan was alive today,he would have been the hot favourite for many a filmmakers to listen to their plight when they either censor their own films or have to do it on the board’s behest.

A necessary evil
Everyone understands the importance of a Censor body. No filmmaker ever disputes the fact that it is imperative to have a controlling body so that there is some ‘law and order situation’ (strictly from Bollywood content standpoint) maintained and there are no raging bulls threatening to run amok. Fair enough,makes sense. But what happens when many accuse the board of adopting different criteria for different films,different set-ups,and different situations and of course different personalities?

DK Bose
Picture this. ‘DK Bose’ is the talk of the town,for right as well as the wrong reasons,and even as the parents and their 9 year old kids (ref: Anubhav Sinha’s tirade against the song) totally understand the connotations of the song,the makers are sounding completely oblivious to the ‘double meaning’ here. The Censors felt the same and passed the song with flying colours.

The immediate accusation that comes in is — ‘Would the Censors have been equally oblivious had the film come from a lesser banner and starred the likes of an Emraan Hashmi or a Riteish Deshmukh or a Tusshar Kapoor?’ These new generation actors are known for their naughty films and are hence readily available candidates for further scrutiny. Would the double meaning have resulted in only one meaning? The one which stands for ‘vulgar’? Would the Board have just looked at these men and their films and said – ‘Bhaag DK Bose,Aandhi Aayi?’

So what’s the issue
None actually. It’s all fair enough in fact,what with Aamir,Kiran,Ram,Imran or their buddies getting what they wanted. They made something,felt they had done a good job at it,Censors agreed as well,audience is happy too and a chartbuster song is helping crisp album and ring-tone sales,especially in the times when illegal downloads have done enough damage to the music industry. The obvious ‘plight point’ is — ‘Why can’t it be consistent for all?’

Why is Luv Ranjan asked to cut short his harmless ‘pecking scene’ between Nushrat and Kartik in ‘Pyaar Ka Punchnama’ just because the Board felt it was extending beyond limits? Why does Madhur Bhandarkar develop cold feet and drop his man-to-man kissing scene (involving Samir Soni) even before screening of ‘Fashion’ for the Censor Board? Why is Gul Panag’s voice silenced when she asks Sharman Joshi whether he is carrying a condom in ‘Hello’?

The reasoning
Of course,the Censor Board would have given the reasoning for all the cuts and suggestions. Perhaps quite a few would have made sense as well. However,it’s the consistency factor that aggravates the entire issue due to which immense resentment sets in.

Arunoday Singh and Aditi Rao have more kissing scenes than dialogue interactions on screen in ‘Yeh Saali Zindagi’,which breezed through comfortably. Rahul Bose and Arjun Mathur’s lip-lock went to the big sceen,presumably because ‘I Am’ was an ‘art house’ film. And the latest case — Kirti Kulari and Kalki Koechlin enquire about strawberry,apricot and banana flavours for condoms in a chemist shop in Shaitan.

Filmmakers ask questions. Different people come up with different answers. At times,the same Censor Board gives different reasoning because the ‘committees’ change. Ask Luv Ranjan – not only was ‘Pyaar Ka Punchnama’ but even promotional material for the film went through multiple iterations before someone pitied upon him and put a final stamp of approval,albeit with cuts.

Different times,different mindset
Censor guidelines have not changed for decades. It’s the interpretation that has,due to which thankfully there is some level of relaxation that has come in. However,that too is sporadic and seemingly depends upon which side of the bed has a Board member woken up.

Less than a decade ago,’Paanch’ was banned because it was way too violent. Today it is remade as ‘Shaitan’ with even more graphic appeal and guess what; it is released with minimum cuts and is now fast gaining cult status for itself!

Anand Bakshi said,“What’s with (a song like) ‘Choli Ke Peeche’ (Khalnayak)? It’s the listener whose mind is corrupt,not the writer’s. Today a ‘Penchar’ (Delhi Belly) comes and it is termed as ‘harmless fun’.”

Just six months ago,Madhur Bhandarkar was asked to beep the word ‘pornography’ from Shruti Hassan’s dialogue ‘Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji’. Today in ‘Shaitan’,Neil Bhoopalan is shown jerking off at the very sight of semi clad lesbian characters (that too in a video game) even as his mom enters the room and leaves in disgust.

You can’t have characters mouthing the ‘F’ word in a regular mainstream film. But if they happen to be ‘issue based’ films like ‘No One Killed Jessica’ or ‘I Am’,cuss words flow all around the narrative. No questions asked.

Similarly,three decades ago in Deewar,live-in partners Amitabh Bachchan and Parveen Babi made the final print in a still where they were under the sheets in a semi-nude state. Today in ‘Pyaar Ka Punchnama’,Kartik and Nushrat can’t share cute little moments while calling each other ‘babu’ and ‘sweetoo’ because live-in is apparently against our Indian culture and tradition.

The certification
This is where the entire argument around U,U/A and A comes into picture. The Censor Board mandate is to have different ratings for different films. The question that arises is whether or not the entire concept in outdated in an age when internet piracy through downloads and torrents ensure that all kinds of content is available.

When coming to watching films in cinemas,only some multiplexes step forward and stop underage teens from watching films meant for adults,negating the very concept of such certification. Then,how does one ensure that it is strictly adhered to in single screen theatres and those located in small towns?

The more suitable method would be to ensure that some form of self-censorship comes into play,rather than leaving that decision for just a handful of appointed people on the board. And,if that cannot happen,there should be some way of maintaining consistency,which can move ahead with the times.