“I’m going to change the way films are censored. Once a film is given A certificate, there is no dispute about its credibility,” says Pahlaj Nihalani, the new Chairperson of the Censor Board Of Film Certification (CBFC). According to him, “Though the guidelines were clearly laid out for the CBFC members, they weren’t properly implemented. One can’t blame them, they were clueless. The workshops they were to attend for updates, were never held. Out of 100 jury members, only 15 did their jobs properly, but that too by groping in the dark.”
The new censor chief intends to initiate members from every walk of life. “We’ll have professionals from every field medicine, law, academics, science. Every section of society and every religious creed will be represented, including a maulana.”
He also intends to implement a uniform code of conduct regarding verbal and visual violence in films. Lashing out at a certain kind of cinema that portrays gaalis and the gun, the new CBFC chief says, “I don’t think civilised people from any culture use such language in their everyday conversation. I’ve travelled to the remotest corners of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Most people, even the poorest of the poor, do not interject their speech with gaalis. Then why does a particular kind of cinema insist on hurling invectives?”
He cites two Yash Chopra-Amitabh Bachchan’s classics to prove how effective insinuated violence can be. “Deewaar and Trishul were extremely violent films, but how much of the theme’s violence was actually shown on screen?”
Pahlaj is unapologetic about being seen as Narendra Modi’s follower. “When have I denied being an admirer of his politics? But I’d like to think I’ve been chosen to do the job of the CBFC’s chairperson because of my 33 years of experience as a producer. I understand the pain and sweat that goes into making a film. At the same time I also know how much of the violence and abuse that’s claimed as essential can actually be done away with.”
