Freedom of expression vs censorship: Does Bollywood need moral policing?

New Delhi: The battle between the makers of ‘Udta Punjab’ and the film certification board is gaining new proportions with each passing day. The cuts sought by the censor board have united the entire film fraternity who are now bent on seizing their right of making films and making them the way they want to. Ahead of them stands a body who decides what is apt for public viewing, and what not; something which forces one to draw similarity to moral policing on the streets of India.

The last time one saw primetime of mostly all news channels dedicated to talking about a Bollywood movie was when the Messenger of God was due for release in January 2015. The film board refused to give a green signal to the movie and now it is repeating history with ‘Udta Punjab’.

Based on the prevailing problem of substance abuse in the state of Punjab, the neo noir drama has been ‘grounded’ because of its explicit content and the fact that according to CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihlani, it ‘vilifies’ the state of Punjab.

The makers wanted an ‘A’ certificate for the movie which the censor board agreed to give, though after 90 cuts! Also, the board directed the makers to drop, ‘Punjab’ off the title.

Punjab is due for Assembly elections in 2017 and this tiff has now turned into a political slugfest. Opposing parties, including the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party, have alleged that the cuts were suggested by the ruling SAD-BJP.

Everyone from actors like Arjun Kapoor, Soha Ali Khan to filmmakers like Mahesh Bhatt and Karan Johar and lyricist Javed Akhtar, are in unison demanding Udta Punjab’s release without any cuts.

This whole concept of censorship has drawn a lot of flak for the board, especially in its inability to keep pace with changing times. Famous lyricist Javed Akhtar made a valid point during a TV interview that people in Punjab know about the drug problem, they don’t need a movie to tell them that. Then why this moral policing? Why chop off cuss words which are commonly heard on the streets of India? Doesn’t cinema act as a mirror to society?

Censorship vs certification:

At a press conference, where many renowned personalities stood in solidarity with ‘Udta Punjab’, they said something quite relevant. Filmmaker Sudhir Mishra and Zoya Akhtar, among others, said that the body is called Central Board of Film Certification and not the ‘Censor Board.’ Their work, which is bound by many parameters, thus becomes to give a movie a certificate, not chop scenes off. In this particular case of ‘Udta Punjab’, the makers themselves wanted an ‘A’ certificate, so many on the side of Anurag found it difficult to comprehend why scenes need to be removed.

That brings the role of the CBFC into spotlight. As per norms, the vision of the CBFC is to ensure good and healthy entertainment in accordance with the provisions of the Cinematograph Act 1952 and the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules 1983. Certifications can be withheld if “any part of it is against the interest of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or involves defamation or contempt of court or is likely to incite commission of any offence”.

Censorship, on the other hand, remains largely undefined – largely governed by the understanding, ideas and ideals of the members governing it. The entire work sphere of a filmmaker and his unit of workers is thus finally left to the mercy of a handful of people who may or may not have kept up with the times.

At present, the film board gives four certificates:
U: Unrestricted Public Exhibition
U/A: Unrestricted Public Exhibition - but with a word of caution that Parental discretion required for children below 12 years
A: Restricted to adults
S: Restricted to any special class of persons.

Film vs censor board:

This is not the first time when censor board has locked horns with a film. In 2015, the board refused to allow the release of Dera Sacha Sauda Ram Rahim starring Messenger of God. According to the board, Ram Rahim had portrayed himself as God and the film looked like an advertisement. Some scenes showed miracles taking place that are not substantiated by logic. When the row surrounding it caught fire, the then chairperson Leela Samson decided to resign sighting “recent cases” of interference in the functioning of the Board.

Last year, under the supervision of Pahlaj Nihalani, few seconds of a kissing scene of James Bond movie ‘Spectre’ were chopped off. Nihalani, wielded his axe once again and Sunny Deol starrer Mohalla Assi went under it, getting banned on 8th April 2016. Not long ago, censor board became the butt of jokes when it gave U/A certificate to children fantasy movie, ‘The Jungle Book’. ‘Aligarh’’s director Hansal Mehta, too had a bitter fight with Pahlaj Nihalani, in which he said that he would retort to selling underwear than using the chief’s name for publicity.  

All these instances and more have somehow made Pahlaj Nihalani, the least favourite member who sits on one of the most influential bodies of the nation. Hatred has been spewed against him, yet he seems adamant. In 2015, the CBFC released a list of English and Hindi words, which would be banned from the movies. The 28 cuss words, were not something which audience don’t know of, given they are used across the nation.

Also Read: Censorship of ‘absurdity’? Read what bizarre words CBFC chopped off from ‘Udta Punjab’

Moral policing:

For some movies, the battle starts after their release. In the past, we have seen movies which get a clearance from the CBFC, but landed in trouble because someone’s ‘religious’ sentiments got hurt. Aamir Khan starrer ‘PK’ courted controversy in 2015, when a complaint was filed against him and the movie’s director RajKumar Hirani secretary of a Hindu legal cell, Prashant Patel, for allegedly making disapproving comments against Hindu religion and showing Lord Shiva in a bad light. In 2012, Akshay Kumar starrer Oh My God was booked under section 295 A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings) and Section 298 (uttering words etc with deliberate intent to wound religious feelings) of the IPC, for allegedly hurting religious sentiments. The latest one to join the list is Ajay Devgn’s yet to be released, ‘Shivaay’. A complainant said the Shivaay poster shows the hero climbing on Lord Shiva's figure with shoes on, which hurts the sentiments of people having faith in Lord Shiva and Hinduism.

These instances reveal that there is no sigh of relief for filmmakers even after the smooth release of their project.

Where is Hindi film industry headed?

Recently, we saw veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah speak strongly on the lack of content in Bollywood. He said all Hindi film industry does is copy the West and on instances like these, when there is no plagiarism, the content is given a death sentence.

The censorship is one of the major reasons, why a large chunk of viewers are  moving to web content (it is free from censorship till now) and imported content. This is definitely not a good news for a profitable Hindi film industry as it is losing out on audience. By the boundaries drawn by the censor board, it seems, it wants all the power in its hands. They wish to direct film-makers what words the characters should speak, how they should act, what should be their sexual orientation and what not. This may or may not be in tune with what the law prescribes and could instead be based on the understanding of individuals who wield the power to dictate and arm-twist.

Sadly, all these factors are giving Hindi film industry a slow death. Long gone are days when renowned screenwriters had the liberty to give structure to their thoughts and produce brilliance of a film.

But, that is no longer the case. Sadly, the ones who love watching movies and appreciate art in any form are moving away from the boundaries of Hindi film industry.

The question still remains, are we ready for this kind of censorship which kills the essence of the movie? If we are, shouldn’t we stop complaining about the lack of content in Bollywood movies?

Also Read: From Big B, Aamir Khan to Anurag Kashyap: Who said what on the 'Udta Punjab' controversy

What choice does the audience have?

While Freedom of expression still remains one of the hot topics of discussion in the nation, little does anyone talk about freedom of choice. Udta Punjab actor Shahid Kapoor was bang on point when he said that it was about time that CBFC treated adult viewers as adults.

The recent actions imply that the audience have little choice when it comes to viewing, as the movie doesn’t see a release. Aren’t the people in India sane enough to decide whether they do or do not wish to see a particular movie having kissing scenes with their kids around?

It should not be forgotten, that there is surplus of explicit content on the web. Be it pornography, deleted scenes, or pirated content, viewers can any time see what they want to easily, so censorship does lose all its value here.

Under Pahlaj’s supervision, censor board has received less to no appreciation. Especially during instances like this; whenever cuts and edits are proposed in a particular movie, which talks about real issues, viewers are compelled to ask why slapstick comedies like ‘Mastizaade’ and ‘Kya Kool Hai Hum 3’ get clearance without a ruckus.  

In the name of preserving the culture heritage of the nation, the censor board has gone far, too far perhaps. Removing abuses from a movie doesn’t mean a common man won’t hear it on the streets, deleting sex scenes doesn’t imply that people will stop watching porn and chopping off reference of drugs will not change the fact that Punjab, faces a grave problem of substance abuse.