Censors vote out board boss list of cuss words

NEW DELHI: The controversial cuss list, issued in February, has been withdrawn with a majority of the Censor Board members voting against it at a meeting on Friday. Protesting members of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) said despite their repeated objections, films were being sanitized on "verbal orders'' and swear words beeped out.

"Of the 15 members who attended the meeting, 12 were in favour of withdrawing the cuss list. We have also insisted that minutes of the meeting be recorded and circulated within two weeks so that it is official. We had protested earlier about this arbitrary list but officials and examining committee members were verbally told to implement it,'' a member said. The member added that a gag order had also been put in place and members asked not to speak to media on the issue.

CBFC board members had protested against the cuss list in a meeting in March but sources said nothing had changed on the ground and many films had suffered. "Many films that have received certification during this time like Highway, NH10 and others have suffered cuts because of this list. We have now reiterated that swear words should be seen in the context of the entire film rather than in an isolated manner and the decision be left to the examining committee,'' another member said.

When contacted CBFC chairman Pahlaj Nihalani refused to comment only saying that he had been working according to the rules and would continue to do so.

Nihalani had circulated a list to all regional officers in the certification body which included 28 swear words in February within a month of taking charge. The memo that was first issued in 2003 as a guideline for officials certifying films also banned the use of word Bombay, double-meaning words, scenes or words that glorified bloodshed and violence against women.

Since then the members have had a running feud against the chairman. While some accused him of being "dictatorial'', others said he was "exceeding his brief'' by not just reviewing films himself but also ordering cuss words to be removed despite a Board resolution putting the order on hold.



Times View

It is a relief to know that some sense has prevailed on the censor board and it has decided not to have a list of banned cuss words. As we had written earlier, the board's job is not to turn Indian films into a sort of celluloid version of Amar Chitra Katha. It must protecting innocent little children from undue exposure to cuss words or excessive violence, but to ban these from films altogether would be ridiculous. Correct certification is the right way to ensure that children are not exposed to what must be kept away from their eyes and ears.