Filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee says that decisions regarding a movie’s content should be left to the filmmakers and the audience, and that the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) should only be entrusted with certifying movies appropriately.
“The issue will resolve only when the people who watch films and who make films will come together and say, ‘Let us decide what we want to see and what we’ll make’. You [Censor Board] just decide that the film should be watched by this age group or under this age group,” said the Shanghai filmmaker.
Banerjee spoke on the sidelines of an event, where three books based on screenplays of the late Guru Dutt’s productions, were launched.
Filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra was also at the event.
Chopra slammed the CBFC for recently issuing a list of words that filmmakers are barred from using in their movies.
“If there is any film [that has] such words, then make it adult [certified]. How it is possible that a filmmaker will not use these words? According to me, it’s ridiculous and senseless to say to people you can’t say this [in films],” he said.
The Times of India reported on Tuesday that the list of banned words was suspended after a seven-hour Censor Board meeting on Monday in which CBFC members argued that chairman Pahlaj Nihalani had exceeded his brief.
The PK producer also said the Censor Board authorities should not misuse their power.
“The more power you’ll [the government] give them, the more they [Censor Board members] will misuse it. Their power should be simple... they should certify films — like under 12, under 16, under 18, adult,” he said.
