So recently, the oh so great Censor Board of India has apparently given OK Jaanu, the upcoming Shraddha Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapur movie, a clean chit with only about 4 minor cuts.
As quoted by CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani, “The times are changing. At one time couples couldn’t even meet before marriage. Now, they get a chance to spend time with one another to know whether they are compatible or not. That’s a social reality. We must recognise and respect the changes in social mores.”
And not just this movie, but the kiss-fest Befikre too was released without any major cuts, especially in the kissing department.
The Censor Board has also given a green light to Begum Jaan, starring Vidya Balan, where she is essaying the role of a brothel madame. We can only assume that the story of the movie will not exactly be child friendly.
But wait a minute, isn’t the Censor Board the upholder of Sanskaar in our country and aren’t they supposed to be against all these modern and corrupting ideas?
Censor Board: Higher The Budget, Higher The Sanskaar Factor
Hmm… I am seeing a certain trend here.
Both OK Jaanu and Befikre were big budget and backed by very powerful production houses.
Begum Jaan ka scene looks wonky, but that could just have been to remove suspicion or biased play at hand or the scenes are mostly about women objectification.
Because there is nothing wrong with shameful cuts of a woman’s heaving breast, closeup shots of her mouth and legs and more, amirite?
But just explain to me here, because maybe I do not understand the intelligence behind the Censor Board but what exactly is Befikre or OK Jaanu adding to the society that you are being so lenient here?
Aligarh, Udta Punjab and Haraamkhor Are Such Bad Films I Tell You
Now see this is where I am getting confused.
If the Censor Board can have such a modern and inclusive take for the above films, then what exactly was wrong with film like Aligarh, that was asked to make a number of cuts, Udta Punjab, for which we literally need not give any kind of information.
And Haraamkhor, which was almost banned by the Censor Board altogether, before FCAT (Film Certification Apellate Tribunal) allowed it to be released.
These movies are made on some very real and true things that we as a country and society have to suffer through. Things that are not fiction like OK Jaanu nor idealistic like Befikre where everything is hunky dory.
No. Films like Aligarh and Udt Punjab and even Haraamkhor deal with life in India, problems that we as citizens have to go through.
Then why the hard hand on them? Why can’t the Board be as practical and sensitive to the matters these films are dealing with and understand the gravity of it all.
Signing off I would like to say that, to me as a normal citizen of the country, it just seems like the banner, production house and stars are more important to the Censor Board than the actual content of the film.
Image Credits: Google Images
Other Recommendations:
http://edtimes.in/2016/05/to-ban-or-not-to-ban-udta-punjab-controversy/
http://edtimes.in/2015/03/media-censorship-cuffing-voices-out-loud/
http://edtimes.in/2016/02/aligarh-review/
