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CBFC bans abuse, double entendres in films

New scissors
Last Updated 14 February 2015, 20:27 IST

The censor board has issued a list of objectionable and abusive words which will be banned in films.

It has also asked filmmakers to use “Mumbai” and not “Bombay” in their works.
The letter by Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chief Pahlaj Nihalani directs its regional officers not to issue certificates to films that use these words, which are abuses in Hindi and English. 

It has also been specified that double entendres, violence against women and glorification of bloodshed should not be allowed. Asked about it, Nihalani said the letter was issued only to bring clarity, especially to filmmakers, so that last-minute cuts are avoided.

Minister of State in the I&B Ministry Rajyavardhan Rathore said on the matter that the government did not interfere in the censor board's functioning, but maintained that he was confident that the “letter is not the end of everything. It's not the final decision”.
The communication, which was also marked to the producers' association, came close on the heels of the controversy over CBFC member Ashoke Pandit slamming the use of language by film personalities at a stand-up comedy show that went viral online.
Rathore said he had learnt about it on Friday morning.

“The certification board is an autonomous body, and hence we don't want to manage them at all,”c he said. “Ëverything has to be in context.“

When told that if the CBFC's letter was stringently followed, it would be difficult for audiences to enjoy the work of several celebrated filmmakers, Rathore said: “The opinion of the ministry is at slight variance. However, it is the jurisdiction of the certification board. I am sure this letter is not the end of everything. It's not the final decision. I believe that everything has to be in context.”

Responding to another question about the composition of the new censor board, Rathore said the people chosen were experts in their fields.

He was asked about the new CBFC chief's comments praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to which he said many people across the country and the world admire him.
Saying that the CBFC was repeatedly referred to as the censor board, Rathore suggested that perhaps the word “ratings” should be used instead.

Asked to comment on a recent FIR against several leading film stars in Mumbai in connection with a show, Rathore said a private individual had complained about it, and the government was not in the picture in relation to the case.

On the AIB show issue, Nihalani said the censor board had no role, but if the matter came before it, it might offer suggestions.

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(Published 14 February 2015, 20:27 IST)

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