Take Two
To Pass the Censor Board
Madhavankutty Pillai Madhavankutty Pillai 04 Feb, 2012
… the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo must always be wearing a salwar kameez
Between India and the UK, the censure of JP Singh suddenly took a flip from those-things-in-the-front- that-we-must-not-see to the other side. On 27 January, when Mumbai Mirror ran a report on The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo not being screened in India, Singh, the Mumbai regional officer of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), had this to say: “The protocol usually is to blur out scenes that have frontal nudity.” Three days later, when The Telegraph in the UK ran a story on it, Singh had this to say: “Bare bottom and bare- breast scenes are not allowed in India.” With these statements, Singh neatly took care of all that is offensive in the human body.
Indians will not see The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo in movie theatres because its director did what Indian directors just can’t—tell the Censor Board to take a walk. David Fincher refused to delete or blur any of the scenes as demanded. He could live without the movie being shown in India. Indians who want to will of course watch it. They will get DVDs from the neighbourhood rental store, or enterprising people with a broadband connection will download it illegally from the net. Singh is, however, on firm ground when he says that it is not permitted. The CBFC’s website has guidelines that filmmakers must follow to get a certification. This is based on the Cinematograph Act. Among other things films can’t show are cruelty to animals, denigration of women, the modus operandi of criminals and violence. Scenes of horror must not be shown, which means you can’t make a horror film at all. Vulgarity, obscenity, depravity, drinking, smoking and dual meaning dialogues are discouraged. Rape and sexual perversion, if necessary to the theme, must be minimised. Words contemptuous of religion are out. Friendly relations with neighbouring states have to be kept in mind while making a movie. The film must even be good, says the Act.
The only movies you will get out of it are farmers talking about crops and that too if they don’t mention the snake that came under the plough. Of course, no one follows these guidelines. Every film flouts something. Film censorship in India is arbitrary and absurd. It would even be a joke if they didn’t have the frightening power to pass judgment on someone else’s imagination.
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