Certification sans scissors recommended to Centre: Goutam Ghose

Certification of films "sans scissors" has been recommended to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry in a report submitted by the Shyam Benegal-led censor board revamp committee, said filmmaker Goutam Ghose who is also its member.

"The process to change this situation is on. MIB Minister Arun Jaitley has also come forward on this. I can't say everything officially because I am a part of the committee but in the future ... certification of movies without scissors... has been recommended to ministry. This is a very big step forward... without scissors," Ghose said here on Saturday.

Other members of the committee included film actor Kamal Haasan, filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, ad-man Piyush Pandey, film critic Bhawana Somaaya and NFDC Managing Director Nina Lath Gupta.

The Benegal panel, in its report submitted on April 26, urged the government to lay down a "holistic framework for certification of films."

Jaitley had on Thursday said the ministry will soon announce some very radical changes in the existing system of film certification.

The multiple National Award-winner was speaking against the backdrop of the raging censorship controversy over "Udta Punjab".

"Udta Punjab" director Abhishek Chaubey has reportedly been asked by the Revising Committee of the Censor Board of Film Certification to remove references to Punjab and to make several cuts.

Film co-producer Anurag Kashyap has attacked censor board chairman Pahlaj Nihalani over the 89 cuts ordered in the film, which deals with the drug menace in Punjab.

A section of filmmakers and actors from West Bengal extended support to the "Udta Punjab" makers.

"This is an attempt to form a disinfected India where everything is neat and clean," said actor Parambrata Chatterjee.

Filmmaker Ashoke Vishwanathan said such form of censoring threatens the "flexibility" of filmmakers and cinema in general.

--IANS

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