People's Democracy

Film Bodies Demand Censor Board Restructuring

Anand Patwardhan, Rakesh Sharma, Sanjiv Shah and Anjali Monteiro issued the following statement on October 16, on behalf of Vikalp (Mumbai) and the Campaign Against Censorship/Films for Freedom.

THE Vikalp and the Campaign Against Censorship/Films for Freedom welcome the removal of illiberal, pro-active censor board officials, as a first step toward redressing the regressive role played by the CBFC in stifling political dissent. However, the campaign would like the draw the attention of the government, all political parties, and the public at large, that the fundamental issue before us is not merely the removal or changing of officials in different Censor Boards, but the urgent need to review the censorship laws under the Cinematograph Act as well as the functioning of the Censor Board. Until these laws are change, bodies like the CBFC will continue to be used by political parties and governments to stifle debate and dissent, and exclude multiple perspective and opinions.

The Censor Board which has often been arbitrary and undemocratic reached its nadir under NDA rule. Every chairman of the CBFC in this period presided over gross attempts to curb the secular voice. Shri Anupam Kher’s tenure was no exception. The targeting of films that dealt with the Gujarat massacres of 2002 exposed the partisan, authoritarian, and irresponsible use of the powers given to the CBFC. The process began when the regional panels of the CBFC were stacked with political appointees with direct political links to the party in power. There was harassment of filmmakers at the censor board, and eventually the unprecedented step of the CBFC taking an aggressive and pro-active stand in stopping screenings of “uncensored” films, often in collusion with right-wing political fronts. All of this happened with the knowledge of Shri Anupam Kher, if not at his behest.

The ensure freedom of expression and to strengthen democratic institutions there is therefore an urgent need to totally review the censorship laws under the Cinematograph Act as well as the functioning of the CBFC.

We also condemn the fact that Prasar Bharati has asked filmmaker Prakash Jha to delete critical references to the Emergency from his film on Jayaprakash Narayan. This clearly reiterates our belief that important public institutions like the CBFC and Prasar Bharati have been stripped of their independence and continue to be used by political parties to further their narrow agendas.                

The Campaign against Censorship calls on all film makers, journalists, members of the media, democratic institutions and human rights organisations to join us in our demand to review and change the Cinematograph Act and all censorship laws and to create a regulatory certification mechanism that is based on the principles of freedom of expression and justice, and which prevents political, moral and cultural policing of the media by all governments and political parties.