Lately, the CBFC has become a thorn in the flesh, commentators suggest. The ignorance of CBFC members has reached new heights, it would seem from what some filmmakers/actors have said in recent months.
When Kannappa was submitted for certification, the CBFC members who watched the movie objected to the very scenes that define Bhakta Kannappa's devotion. They told Manchu Vishnu that showing Kannappa place his foot on a Shiva Lingam was blasphemous. Vishnu had to explain to them that Kannappa is known to have done it out of child-like love for Shiva. A censor board member is expected to be aware enough to see the difference between blasphemy and well-intentioned portrayals.
The other day, Live Mint published a detailed story on how many films have been troubled in the recent past, either out of ignorance or due to political pressure: Punjab ’95, Santosh, L2: Empuraan and Phule, to name a few. L2: Empuraan was first certified by the CBFC, which later asked its makers to remove certain portions. This was ostensibly due to political pressure, but what stops the Board from coming out with defined, predictable, stable rules?
The Live Mint report quotes Rajeev Masand as saying that most CBFC members have been cinema-illiterates. If they are not knowledgeable, why are they even appointed to the prestigious board?
"The CBFC is a bunch of hired goons acting with paranoia and bad-faith. They have no problems approving crass jokes on people with disabilities but any film showing the ground reality is seen as a problem," wrote Varun Grover.
