Information & Broadcasting Arun Jaitley said here on Saturday that the film certification guidelines needed contemporary interpretation and they should be made as non-discretionary as possible.
Jaitley said that in most countries of the world there was a mechanism for certifying films and documentaries, but it had to be ensured that in doing so, artistic creativity and freedom did not get curtailed.
Jaitley made these observations while holding wide ranging interaction with the members of Shyam Benegal-headed experts’ Committee which was constituted on January 1 to recommend broad guidelines for certification of films by the Central Board of Film Certification, CBFC.
Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore and I&B Secretary Sunil Arora were also present at the meeting.
Apart from Benegal, other members of the experts’ committee-- filmmaker Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra, advertising & communication expert Shri Piyush Pandey, veteran film journalist Bhawana Somayaa, NFDC Managing Director Nina lath Gupta and Joint Secretary, Films, Sanjay Murthy — were present.
On his part, Col. Rathore expressed confidence that the Shyam Benegal-headed experts’ committee would provide a holistic framework for interpretation of the provisions of Cinematograph Act and Rules for the benefit of the chairperson and other members of the CBFC Screening Committee.
Benegal said that there was a need to move towards a new system of grading films in terms of age, maturity, sensibility and sensitivity instead of censorship
The Shyam Benegal Committee will study the existing procedure being followed by CBFC for certification of original films, their dubbed versions as well as recertification of films for screening on other media platforms.
The Committee will also study various directives of courts as well as notifications issued by other Government agencies like Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Ministry of Environment & Forests, Animal Welfare Board of India etc, which have a bearing on the process of film certification.
The committee will also look into staffing pattern of CBFC, in an effort to recommend a framework which would provide transparent, user friendly services.