Reel Life: Govt as ‘Bauji’ (Amrish Puri)

When the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) was abolished earlier this year, I wrote that with each passing day, constraints on filmmakers would grow and keep getting tougher; that sanitisation of content and self-censorship will become de rigueur for filmmakers under the present dispensation.

As though striking off FCAT wasn’t enough, last week the Union Government began the process of amending the Cinematograph Act, 1952, arrogating more power to itself in an effort to control film making and what the nation gets to view.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting put out a draft of the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill 2021 in the public domain and sought comments from the people before taking it to Parliament. The proposed amendments include an age-based classification for films, an extension of the validity of the CBFC certificate from 10 years to perpetuity and a provision to check film piracy.

But the key, and potentially draconian proposal, is granting revisionary powers to the central government on film certification, a provision in the Act that had been struck down by the Courts two decades back. With the amendments now proposed, the Union government can direct the Chairman of the CBFC to re-examine a film which has been certified for public exhibition on account of violation of Section 5B(1) of the Cinematograph Act.

As per this section, “a film shall not be certified for public exhibition if, in the opinion of the authority competent to grant the certificate, the film or any part of it is against the interests of [the sovereignty and integrity of India] the security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or morality, or involves defamation or contempt of court or is likely to incite the commission of any offence”.

The draft also cites Article 19 (2) of the Constitution which imposes reasonable restrictions upon the freedom of speech and expression of citizens.

Instead of opening things up for the industry, as it had promised initially in the glow of its victory in 2014, every passing day the government is adding to the creation of a more restrictive environment. For a government that had promised to move away from censorship and implement progressive classification norms, this attempt at becoming a Super Censor, is disappointing.

It undermines the power of a body like CBFC. Does the government doubt the competence of an institution that is functioning under it? Does it think that CBFC is capable of violating the very Cinematograph Act that had been mandated for it? Why did the government abolish FCAT in the first place if it thinks that the CBFC decisions need to be reviewed? As though the obsequiousness of the chairperson wasn’t enough, it seeks to undermine and overrule his office and seeks to make it effectively redundant.

“20 years on, Centre reclaims the right to censor films already given CBFC certification. @prasoonjoshi neutered. Will he resign in protest? What action will the film industry take?” tweeted filmmaker Ramesh Sharma.

It’s all about subjecting film certification and filmmaking to its whims, fancies and political convenience. Expectedly, the totally trammelled mainstream film industry refuses to squeak a word. The usual suspects are the ones still holding on.

“Modi Government now wants the power to ban, recall, mutilate or maim any film even if it has been certified by that statutory constitutional body called CBFC. So, any fringe group can get ministers/bureaucrats to act against films they find ‘offensive’!” wrote documentary filmmaker Rakesh Sharma on his Facebook wall.

There’s the larger culture of micro-management and keeping things on a leash, not to talk of the implicit infantilization here of both the creative community and the viewers. As though they are not responsible enough to know what to make of films and not mature enough to decide what to see. As for the redressal of the grievances of the filmmakers, well what’s that?

I am tempted to compare this mode of functioning of the BJP to that of a conservative family where the writ of the iron-fisted, orthodox patriarch runs large.

Like in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaayenge. We are all turning timid Simrans (Kajol) to BJP’s Bauji (AmrishPuri). Alas, unlike the film, we won’t so easily be told in reality: “Ja Simran ja, jee le apnizindagi”. The grip will only get more reactionary and retrograde.