‘Make censor norms non-discretionary’

Arun Jaitley said in most countries there was a mechanism for certifying films and documentaries, but it has to be ensured that in doing so, artistic creativity and freedom do not get curtailed. He said film certification guidelines need contemporary interpretation and they should be made as non- discretionary as possible. 

Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore was also present, during the wide-ranging interaction with the Benegal panel, constituted on January 1 to recommend broad guidelines for certification of films by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), commonly known as Censor Board.

Apart from Jaitley, Rathore and Benegal, other committee members - 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 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 Committee. 

Benegal said there was a need to move towards a new system of grading films in terms of age, maturity, sensibility and sensitivity instead of censorship. He 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 told PTI.