Censor Board revamp: Arun Jaitley does not want any more controversies

The Union government seems to be serious in its aim to revamp the Central Board of Film Certification CBFC or the Censor Board Within 10 days of forming a new committee headed by veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal and asked to review the operations of the Censor Board Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley landed in Mumbai on Saturday to meet with the governmentappointed Benegal committee Prime on his agenda remained to cut through what many claim is a decaying bureaucracy gripping the countryrsquos ageing Censor BoardThe Union Minister for Finance Corporate Affairs and Information and Broadcasting Arun Jaitley interacting with filmmaker Shyam Benegal after the meeting in Mumbai on Saturday PicPTIThe minister has asked Censor Board members to meticulously follow recommendations made by the Benegal committeeWhat happened on Saturday Jaitely is believed to have said that film certification guidelines need contemporary interpretation and should be as nondiscretionary as possible The mechanism for certifying films and documentaries should not impinge on artistic creativity and freedomUnion Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore was also present at the meeting Other committee members mdash noted filmmaker Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra advertising and communication expert Piyush Pandey film journalist and critic Bhawana Somayaa NFDC Managing Director Nina Lath Gupta and Joint Secretary Films Sanjay Murthy mdash were also present Rathore expressed confidence that the committee would provide a holistic framework for interpretation of the provisions of Cinematograph Act and Rules for the benefit of the chairperson and other members of the CBFC Screening CommitteeBenegal said there is a need to move towards a new system of grading films in terms of age maturity sensibility and sensitivity instead of censorshipHe said they also discussed how the committee would function and work on what the guidelines and policies should be like of the Censor Board while clearing a movie There might be amendments and changes in the existing guidelines Benegal saidThe committee will study the existing procedure being followed by CBFC for certification of original films their dubbed versions as well as recertification of films for screening on other media platformsIt will also study various directives of courts as well as notifications issued by other government agencies like Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Ministry of Environment and Forests Animal Welfare Board of India which have a bearing on the process of film certificationNo overnight miraclesJaitley claimed sources in Delhi has told the committee members that he would not be able to do wonders overnight but would definitely cut through the chaff of bureaucracy in the board that hampered its functioningThe minister has expressed his dismay and disgust at the way office bearers routinely avoid transfers citing their proximity to top officers of Joint Secretary level in the Information and Broadcasting ministry claimed a senior ministry official on conditions of anonymityJaitley has made it clear that the government should not be saddled with another controversy the official saidThe official cited the example of some severe cuts the CBFC made in Sanjay Suri production Chauranga where a lovemaking scene was deleted and yet the film got an A certificate triggering uproar in the social mediaAmong recent discussions Jaitley had with Bengal and his team such issues of highhandedness surfaced time and again The minister who had a total grip on the workings of the ministry and its bodies like the Censor Board told the members he was aware how once Leela Samson the head of the board got into a slugfest with a Mumbaibased Censor Board official who openly defied Samson saying he had contacts in the ministryThe idea is to lead the committee function so that characters like Pahlaj Nihalani cannot mess things around said the official adding there were chances that Jaitley could have had a word with Nihalani the current head of the CFBC whose countenance in the board is ascribed to his proximity to BJP President Amit Shah