Censor Board will not be about censor anymore!

The minister also said that Pahlaj Nihilani, who has been reprimanded for hijacking the Board, may be shown the door in next few months

The Central Board of Film Certification will not play the role of a censor, instead confining itself to certifying and rating films, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore told a gathering of actors, directors, producers and Bollywood elders at a closeddoor meeting in a suburban hotel on Monday evening. According to a person present at the session, Rathore also hinted that the Board's chairperson, Pahlaj Nihlani, who has been pugnacious and harshly critical of the industry, could be "replaced in the next few months".

The minister is reported to have told those assembled that the centre was considering a plan to alter the name and identity of the Board.

Directors Karan Johar, Anurag Kashyap, Vishal Bharadwaj, Gulzar and Sudhir Mishra, producers Kiran Rao, Ekta Kapoor, Siddharth Roy Kapur, Mukesh Bhatt and Ritesh Sidhwani, and actors Vidya Balan, Anushka Sharma and Deepika Padukone were among those present at the hotel.

The person privy to the proceedings told Mirror that Anushka Sharma was among the most vocal at the meeting. The actor, who turned producer with the recently released NH10 " she also starred in the film " recounted the harrowing time she had obtaining clearance from the Board's Revising Committee. Others joined voice, protesting the government's "unfortunate" choice of chairperson. Rathore reportedly responded that he had "reprimanded" Nihlani for "hijacking the board" and warned him that he had "no business being in the Examining or the Revising Committee".

"If a scene is required in a film, I say you keep it. Don't take any cuts, I promise you won't face any problems in the future," Rathore reportedly told the gathering.

During the proceedings, Gulzar, well-regarded as a voice of sanity as well as deeply respected for his contribution to Indian cinema, proposed that the film fraternity be allowed to elect its own CBFC chief instead of the ministry appointing its candidate as chairperson. Rathore was in agreement, the person at the meeting said - the minister conceded that this could be a "realistic possibility".

However, when Vishal Bharadwaj demanded to know if the Ministry had erred in electing Nihlani to head the Board, Rathore deflected. "His [Nihlani's] personal views are not that of the Board's," he maintained.

Rathore ended the day's business by cautioning those gathered that "things cannot change overnight" but that "Delhi was actively working towards bringing in a new Cinematograph Act" and getting a Board appointment online. "Ultimately it's our responsibility," he said. Rathore also said the Board would be told to ignore the contentious "cuss list".

In February, the CBFC circulated a catalogue of invective that it deemed inappropriate for Indian audiences and directed that several sections be excised from movies scheduled for theatrical release. The industry reacted swiftly, blaming Nihlani of being excessively repressive, high-handed, and divorced from reality. Rathore had chastised the chairperson and indicated that the ministry's views differed from those held by Nihlani.

--- If a scene is required in a film, I say you keep it. Don't take any cuts

- RAJYAVARDHAN SINGH RATHORE