Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) brought the new rules notified by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on September 16 under the Cinematograph Act,.
The guidelines also bar content that promotes “communal, obscurantist, anti-scientific or anti-national attitudes.” They further state that films should not “strain India’s friendly relations with foreign states.”
Many felt that the rule targets Salman Khan’s Maatrubhoomi. Netizens reacted in a furious manner.
One user criticised the CBFC’s role altogether, writing, “CBFC is a censor board, not a certification board like it’s name claims to be. It needs to be scrapped. Also documentary makers should just release the uncensored versions on platforms that the indian govt cannot control or send takedown notices to.”
Another questioned whether the rules would be applied equally, saying, “They won’t follow this for propaganda movies. This is only for the movies they don’t want ppl to see. Indian cinema is as good as dead.”
Concerns about selective implementation also came up, with one user commenting, “Going to be followed very selectively and with extreme bias. Not going to add to this.”
A fourth user took a broader view of the changes, writing, “Actually, calling them guidelines seems insincere; edicts would be a better word. Call yourself the Central Board of Film Censorship.”
One more user pointed to the distinction between certification and censorship, writing, “Somebody tell the govt we had discarded the censor board in 1983 and the only objective of CBFC is supposed to be certifying films based on its content and not to censor scenes. We have courts to decide for the latter.”
Another user said, “Ideally conscientious artists in the country should respond unkindly to this. A protest, an open letter. Something. Because what is even this.”
—- Pramod Nandivada
