Tampering with movies is not the job of the CBFC

Says Shyam Benegal about the new grading system for films which has been proposed by the revising panel led by him.
There was a sense of relief when the Information and Broadcasting (I & B) Ministry set up a panel on January 1 this year to suggest necessary changes to the existent set of guidelines. Many filmmakers have been vocal about their grouse against the current CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification) Chief Pahlaj Nihalani, in whose tenure several instances of harsh censorship came to light.When BT spoke to Mr Benegal in January, a week after his appointment, he had made his vision clear ' 'Censorship is the complete antithesis of democracy.' Four months later, on April 26, the Benegal-led panel submitted their first set of propositions to the I&B Minister Arun Jaitley.
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The panel, staying true to their promise, reinstated that the 'CBFC should not be using scissors on any film'. They have recommended a new system of grading films depending on their suitability for various audience groups. The grades include: U, U/A12 (Children above the age of 12) and U/A15 (Children above the age of 15). Additionally, the A (Adult) category has been branched further into Adult and Adult with Caution.
Benegal told us, 'The sub-categories are necessary inclusions. A film about child trafficking cannot be restricted to adults. It is essential that teenagers watch and understand these issues. Parental guidance at that age is crucial. Also, the category Adult (With caution) is imperative.
In India, it is mostly seen that films with detailed depiction of sex or nudity find it hard to make it to the theaters. In case a certain movie needs restricted viewership, it will be shown only in selected theatres after 11 pm. With the current classification, clear categories have been marked out for films. This category exists in many countries but for India, it is the need of the hour. "
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When a film doesn't fit into any of the above categories, filmmakers could request for re-certification after self-censorship. Benegal and his team are clear that editing is the job of creative people alone. He elaborates, 'In order to ensure better transparency in the system, if things need to be changed in the film, they must be done by filmmakers themselves. Once denied certification, they can always re-apply. Tampering with movies is not the job of the CBFC. So far, people would get stuck in between the Examining Committee and the Revising Committee, where they were asked to delete scenes and tone down violence or steamy content. But people making those remarks aren't creative people. Only a film's production team should be allowed to make edits.'
Ask him if this will render the Censor Chief powerless, Benegal is quick to add that the role of the CBFC head is to function as a mentor and guide for the Board and not be involved in the day-to-day affair of the certification of films.
However, the panel has bought more time from the Ministry to look into the other challenges that filmmakers face. 'We had to present the first set of recommendations by the end of this month, which we have done. But we have been granted extension till mid-June to look into other areas like procuring permission for cruelty towards animals and smoking disclaimers in each scene. We continue to get suggestions from people on the official website of NFDC (National Film Development Corporation of India). Our recommendations were based on the responses we received from filmmakers and the general public and we have done our best to ease things out for the administration as well as the industry,' he adds.
The New Grading System Proposed: