CBFC member of Censor Board certification
Recently Diljit Dosanjh's Sutlej directed by Honey Trehan was removed from Zee5 streaming without any prior notice. Earlier Vijay's Jana Nayagan faced censor hurdles on multiple occasions.
In the midst of all this, a member of the Censor Board revealed how the Censor Board is issuing the certifications and passing the films for theatrical release.
CBFC board member Raaj Mishra speaking to scribes shared “It is a crime to exhibit a film for public viewing without CBFC certification. It is a punishable offence.” Explaining the board’s structure, he said, “The chairman of the CBFC is appointed by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Currently, the chairman is Prasoon Joshi.”
He continued “Every film is viewed by a committee of five members. If at least three of the five members approve it, the film is granted a certificate,”
Elaborating the certification categories, he said “There are three types of certificates. The first is ‘U’ (Universal), which means people of all ages can watch the film. Then there is ‘A’, which is strictly for adults aged 18 and above. The third is ‘UA’, which means the film can be viewed by children under the guidance of an adult.”
He added , “A film dominated by crime and violence generally falls under the ‘A’ category. If the film contains only mild violence or crime, it may receive a ‘UA’ certificate, allowing children to watch it under parental guidance. It is essentially a safety clause. At present, these are the three certification categories.”
He shared “If the five-member committee does not clear a film, the filmmaker can apply for a re-examination. The film is then reviewed by an eleven-member committee. If it is still not cleared, the makers can approach the tribunal in Delhi. However, such cases are quite rare,”
He continued “The theme and narration must suit the contemporary world. Rules evolve with time. Today, mild violence is generally accepted, but if a film depicts extremely graphic acts, such as pulling out someone’s jaw, we have to ensure that such scenes do not have a harmful impact on viewers.”
He added “A film should not propagate anti-national ideas or demean the nation or its policies. A film may have limited entertainment value, but it should not encourage unrest or incite people. Filmmakers enjoy artistic freedom, but there are certain boundaries.”
He revealed “I am still a serving member of the CBFC, and till date, I have never received a phone call pressuring us over any particular film. We are not informed in advance about which film or whose film we are going to certify. Those details are shared only when we arrive for the screening. A film may have political backing, but that does not reach the board.”
He concluded “The CBFC’s responsibility is to ensure that a film does not hurt people’s sentiments beyond a certain point. It does not think beyond that.”
---- Pramod Nandivada
