Why censor cinema?

Artistic expression has always had its detractors. A Rushdie or a Husain has had to face wrath only because what one wrote and the other painted did not conform to the ideas in vogue. Or, maybe, both were far too original in their interpretations.

Filmmakers too have faced not just criticism but ridicule and hostility as well. But for the artistic tribe, such reactions have never been entirely unexpected; after all, its point of view could be so radically different from popular notion.

But when protests against a movie or a piece of prose appear vindictive to the point of promoting narrow partisan ends, it is time for alarm.

The Supreme Court pointed out the other day that in any democratic society, there are bound to be divergent views. This was part of an important ruling which said that once a film had been certified by an experts panel suitable for public viewing, the government could not prevent its exhibition on grounds of law and order.

A Bench dismissed an appeal from the Center against the judgment of a High Court striking down a section of the Cinematograph Act, which confers the power of review even after a movie had been cleared. Usually, in a dispute after the Censor Board has passed a film, it is shown to a quasi-judicial tribunal.

The latest Supreme Court verdict, while granting the right of such an examination by the tribunal, forbids government interference thereafter.

This is a welcome step in a climate where fundamentalists have been attempting Talibanization of India. The fact that many of them are part or have the support of political parties has merely added to the discomfort of artists who now find that their creativity is being questioned, sometimes even trampled upon.

Deepa Mehta's Water is a classic example of how hoodlums stopped her from picturizing a script that was twice approved by the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry.

Why must a piece of celluloid be scrutinized by a government board, when a book or a drawing or even a play does not have to pass this test?

Cinema is a medium which offers enormous scope for visual and verbal communication. This should never be allowed to touch a level of crassness. Violence and vulgarity often convey shock, and little else, and moviemakers who feature these without any qualms probably suffer from a sense of delusion.

The Hindu, New Delhi