Aamir blasts Censor Board, says banning content isn't right

Says movie bans are done by taking law into your own hands, but this is really sad and unfortunate

Coming down heavily on the Censor Board, which recently stoked controversy by banning some objectionable words, actor Aamir Khan today said he is totally against banning any kind of material in media or films.

"I am totally against banning any kind of material. When the I&B minister spoke to us, he also clarified that actually the ministry has no such list of cuss words. It's a certification board and not the censor board. It was nice to hear that," the Bollywood superstar said at Ficci-Frames, an annual jamboree of media and entertainment industry, that began here today.

There were reports that the recently appointed Censor Board chairman Pahlaj Nihalani had revived a 2003 order to ban a list of 28 objectionable or cuss words, including Bombay in any movies or documentaries.

Following public outcry, Nihalani, however, withdrew the list.

Khan, 50, who is known for stellar roles in movies like "Lagaan", "3 Idiots" and "PK" among others, said even if people don't like certain content, banning a film cannot be justified, referring to the 2013 Kamal Haasan movie "Vishwaroopam" that created a controversy leading to a ban.

"I really feel ashamed that at that time I was lost in my work but as an industry that was the time we had to come together. I apologise to you (Kamal Hassan) publicly that I wasn't there at that time. I feel bad that we weren't there with you. Banning a film is not right.

"Once the film has received the certification, it is the responsibility of the state to make sure that people can watch the film without any fear," he said.

Stressing that liking or disliking a film is one's prerogative, he said stopping somebody from releasing a film is not right, specially after it has been through certification.

Movie bans are done by taking law into your own hands, but this is really sad and unfortunate, he said.

Unlike most of his peers who are driven by the box-office collections, Aamir said numbers don't matter to him and it is not a criteria to select a movie based on its potential commercial success.

"I am not someone who talks about my number. That is the last thing on my mind when I am selecting a film. The day I start selecting a film on the possible commercial success, that will be the end of my creativity. I feel that commercial interest stifles growth," he added.