The ‘A’ certificate given to Taramani for portraying women drinking has created a much-needed debate. Directors and censor board officials weigh in…
Censor board policies have come in for much discussion in recent years. Be it about the case of Udta Punjab which received quite a few cuts, or last week’s release, Lipstick Under My Burkha, which the censor board originally refused to certify as ‘the story is lady-oriented’, there have been quite a few harsh exchange of words between censor board officials and filmmakers.
And now, the latest filmmaker to be disgruntled is Ram, whose Taramani has been issued with an ‘A’ certificate, as it has a ‘woman drinking alcohol’. This has come in the wake of a recent statement by CBFC board chief Pahlaj Nihalani which said mere disclaimers aren’t enough, and that scenes of actors smoking or drinking must be scrapped unless there’s a ‘strong provocation’ for them to exist.
Ram: Director of Taramani
“The Censor Board was ready to give us a U/A certificate, but we had to put up with 14 cuts. The explanation was that if a man was shown drinking, we would get a U/A certificate, but that if it was a woman, it’d be an A certificate. Such reasons were given for the other cuts too. I decided to go in for the A certificate as I didn’t want that cut.
And in any case, I expect the audience to have a certain level of maturity to understand this film. Despite opting for the A certificate, Taramani was handed 10 cuts. They asked us to remove words like ‘f**k’. Other than that, I can say that it was a healthy debate with the censor board. The officials treated the movie artistically. But all said, I am taken aback by how they approach the gender issue. Taramani itself is about that and hence, we went ahead with our posters. At the end of the day, I hope women will also come into watch A-certified films. It doesn’t mean they’re about sex; they’re simply about adult content. Hope the audience is mature enough to understand that.
“About an A certificate getting handed to films that show women drinking, yes, I’ve heard the same in a censor meeting too. I was told that they get it that if men drink, then so can women. But apparently, they have guidelines to certify it based on who’s shown drinking.
They added that it’s a silly rule, but that they’re forced to follow it. It’s an absolutely stupid rule; it’s discriminatory and misogynistic. Earlier, when censor certificates were linked to tax cuts, this was an even bigger problem. It was vital to get a U certificate. As far as I know, being a moral custodian isn’t their rule. They are only supposed to rate the films. I totally understand why Ram put this up in his posters.”
Gangai Amaran : Member of the Central Board for Film Certification
“Men drinking is an usual affair. That’s why we are happy to carry those scenes with the statutory warnings. But when directors justify women drinking, don’t they understand the ramifications of such portrayal? We need to think about the impact such depiction could have, if we allowed them. You may tell me that there are women out there drinking, but why do we have to show it on screen? It’s not right to oppose every rule there is, just because they are rules.
Pretty soon, they may even begin to show children drinking. What will happen to our country if we allow such scenes? Drinking isn’t something that should be encouraged. If a film is meant for a small group of specific people, they can shoot anything they want. But when it’s a feature film that will be watched by crores, monitoring needs to be there, and that’s why there’s a censor board.”
S Ve Shekher: Member of the Central Board for Film Certification
“It’s unethical of Ram to have stated so in the poster. I don’t know if he decided this, or if it was the producer. Also, when the director and producer face the committee, they are given the choice to accept the certificate, or go for a revision. In this case, they have clearly been okay with what was decided. Opting for such a poster without asking for a revision isn’t right. I guess the producer must have thought it would be useful as a publicity exercise.”
Source: The New Indian Express