Nihalani: Film makers slam censor board for free publicity

Nagpur: Censor board chief Pahlaj Nihalani is sticking to his guns on censoring films in spite of the Udta Punjab fiasco. He believes the film has not done well at the box office as it has too many expletives and is not a family film. Nihalani was in the city to attend a book release function. Interacting with the media, Nihalani said that the court decision staying the cuts in the film was not a setback for Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).“In democracy, everybody has a right to appeal. Even in judicial set-up, people appeal in the higher court,” he added.
Slamming the producers and directors who criticize the censor board, Nihalani said, “There are only four to five such persons and some of their friends. They are not the representatives of the entire film industry. Ninety-eight per cent producers and directors want to make family films and do not want any sort of controversy. Seventy-four per cent films did not have a single cut during my tenure. It is the remaining 2% who choose controversial topics and criticize the censor board for free publicity. Nowadays, the advertising budget of a film is equal to the production cost.”
When pointed out censor boards in the western countries have become liberal and adapted themselves to the changing times, Nihalani said, “You can’t compare India with the West. Our family values have not changed. So how can you say that the society has changed. Don’t try to take so much advantage of democracy that next generation becomes devoid of moral values. Heroes and heroines are considered role models by youngsters and therefore they have a responsibility towards the society.”
On new film rating system, Nihalani said director Shyam Benegal had submitted a report to the government. “If the law is changed, we will act as per the new laws. However, total ban on censorship will make things difficult for film makers. Even after censorship, many groups protest against certain films. This will only increase,” he added.
The censor board chief was full of praise for regional language films. “These films are doing better than Hindi ones because they are for the whole family. Take the example of Marathi blockbuster Sairat. It is a simple love story but has earned twice that of a star-studded Bollywood film. Tamil and Telugu films also do exceptionally well. However, these films do not get the recognition they deserve because the media and social media concentrate only on Hindi films,” he said.