‘Guidelines were followed’: Shravan Kumar

In August last year, Kumar was handed the additional charge as the CEO of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

By Express Features Service

Shravan Kumar was appointed the CEO of Children’s Film Society, India in 2012. Under his leadership, several children’s films have made it to international festivals, including Gattu (2012), Goopi Gawaiiyya Bagha Bajaiyya (2013). Recently, Pappu Ki Pagdandi was selected at TIFF, Kids. In August last year, Kumar was handed the additional charge as the CEO of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The Indian Express exclusively got Kumar to talk about the burning issue of censorship. Excerpts:

The industry complained to Information and Broadcast (I&B) minister Rajyavardhan Rathore that chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani is censoring instead of certifying.

I was present at the meeting. It was an elaborate discussion on the procedures followed by CBFC and the minister said that certification was a process and not any individual’s decision. It isn’t the preserve of one person alone.

It is said that Nihalani was keen to be on the committee certifying NH10.

There is a set procedure that elects members of the committee or examining officers. And there are guidelines that have been enunciated by the government as per Section 5B of the Cinematograph Act, 1984. One of the principles is that the film should not be obscene, absurd, or cater to baser instincts. Members give their issues in writing. It’s an objective process. We are trying to obviate the perception that anybody can influence the making of the examining committee. We are working on a system to make the process of certification automated online. This will make it impartial and induce transparency. For the first stage of choosing the members, a computer will have a list of 150 possible candidates with their professional backgrounds. On the basis of the themes that have been given, the computer will select a panel who will be intimated through email to come for a screening. There will be no human intervention.

When the new system comes into place, will Section 5B continue to be as vague as it is now?

For making the Act more contemporary, an expert committee headed by Justice Mudgal was constituted in 2013, that went into the nuances of the Act. It comprised the previous chairpersons, the-then chairperson and some other representatives. They interacted with public associations and after that devised certain recommendations. One of them is to include an age-wise classification of 12+, 15+, etc. The findings were presented to the government and a draft bill has been made in keeping with those recommendations. Now, this draft bill is being deliberated upon.

Filmmakers feel that the list of cuss words issued by Nihalani is being executed despite the decision to hold it back.
The list was prepared by regional officers in 2003, and the chairperson thought he should circulate it for the guidance of the present regional officers. That was the intention. There has been no change in the guidelines and they are being followed.

These guidelines are to be viewed in the context of the period. Whenever society evolves, social change has to be taken into context while applying the guidelines. When we talk about obscenity or vulgarity, it’s again contextual, in consonance with social values. It cannot be made as a stand-alone principle.

Is there a movie that you feel has been unfairly certified, since you took charge?

In all certifications, we have not been unfair. There has not been even a single deviation that has happened since I have taken over.

Then why is the film industry so agitated? There was the need for the I&B minister to intervene.

There was no meeting as such which happened. The industry wanted an interaction while the minister was here. It’s a proactive step of dissemination of information. Rathore came to inaugurate an FM channel, an event that was scheduled a long time ago. In the interaction, all these topics we discussed. They also spoke about self-regulation. There were also explanations on how we are going to change to an online system.

The industry and a few members of the board are unhappy with the new chairperson. Do you feel they are justified?

The system of certification requires layered interactions, it doesn’t depend on individual preferences. The process that is followed is as per CBFC guidelines. Why is there a controversy around a film when it is about to release?

There is a difference of opinion on certification within the board. Will that need to be resolved before moving ahead?

Moving ahead with certification? No. The process is in place. I, as the CEO, take care of the system, which follows the process. The constitution of the board is governed by rules and guidelines from the Cinematograph Act.

mumbai.newsline@expressindia.com

Source:: Indian Express