The Central Government has finally terminated the services of the Chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), Pahlaj Nihalini. The demand for his dismissal came from important personalities in the film industry and the enlightened section of the public. Union Minister, Smriti Irani had to give way. Under Nihalini, cinema was subjected to arbitrary cuts and his diktat. It stifled creativity. The new Chairperson, Prasoon Joshi has to do significant course correction to put the film industry on the right track. Joshi is an adman, a poet and a lyricist and is expected to be aware of the demands of cinematic creativity. He is known to have a modern point of view and a thorough knowledge of cinema, but, of course, a new Chairperson cannot do wonders. CBFC needs restructuring. It should not be run by one head in a dictatorial manner. A committee has been set up for more than a year under the baton of famous film director, Shyam Benegal. The committee is expected to suggest necessary reforms. It has already recommended that CBFC should only do film certification and categorise the suitability of films depending on different age groups. This would mean that CBFC will no longer be a Censor Board ruthlessly using the scissors.
The question is when these necessary reforms will be implemented. Benegal has referred to the Censorship guidelines and said that these should not be rigid. The Board should use its own understanding of society to interpret the guidelines. Objections to long kisses and women-orientation should be eliminated. At the same time, films should be realistic and the industry should not peddle dreams which cloud the minds of the audience. Political pressure should be reduced to a minimum. One thing springs to mind. Now that Nihalini is gone, how can the damage done to the documentary on Amartya Sen, ‘An Argumentative Indian’ be undone?
Another breath of fresh air is the appointment of Neil Nongkynrih, the Director, Shillong Chamber Choir who is renowned for having won the second version of India’s Got Talent contest and has since put his team on the national and global map. This brings some diversity to the CBFC and will add a new understanding to the meaning of censorship since Nongkynrih also has a critical eye on films, being a creative artist himself. We dare to expect more enlightened decisions from the new CBFC