It was a 14-year legal battle to hit theatres, says cinematographer-producer Ravi Yadav about his film ‘Kuttrapathrikai’. Though fictional, it centred on the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi and two investigating officers who discover a threat to chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s life. “Because of the sensitivity of the subject and ongoing trial proceedings, the censor board withheld certification, fearing it would influence the trial.The film was finally released in 2007,” he says.
Ravi hasn’t produced a movie since. “It’s been 17 years but I decided to go back to working as a cinematographer.”
In more recent incidents, ‘Oh My God 2’ (2023) directed by Amit Rai came under fire from Agra’s Rashtriya Hindu Parishad Bharat for portraying Lord Shiva in an ‘unconventional’ way, while Vishwa Hindu Parishad members filed a complaint against the makers of Nayanthara-starrer ‘Annapoorani’(2023), after its release on Netflix for allegedly ‘hurting Hindu sentiments’. Netflix responded by taking down the film and its makers posted an apology. Its director Nilesh Krishnaa says that while OTT platforms cater to a specific demographic, theatrical releases have a larger number of stakeholders. “So, you simply have to play by their rules.”
Though the Cinematograph Act and IT Rules, 2021, do not require streaming platforms to carry the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) cut, OTT platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have begun streaming those versions. In the OTT version of Vijay-starrer, ‘Leo’ (2023), the song ‘Naa Ready’, beeps replaced profanities and lyrics that glorified smoking. In the 2023 film ‘Japan’, the names of prominent business personalities Ambani and Adani were muted in a dialogue.
The list of prohibitions from the CBFC is already extensive, says Yadav. “Filmmakers have to watch out about portraying women negatively, graphic violence, ex-plicit sex scenes, and substance use without appropriate disclaimers. And now, one has to contend with external political pressures imposing their views. Filmmakers should have the liberty to infuse their views, even if they are political, into their art. directors and producers must advocate for their creative vision.”
In this regard, Union govt’s Cinematograph Rules 2024 state that CBFC plans to gauge public response to films through seminars with critics, writers, and industry figures, and conduct surveys to assess impact on viewers.
Industry experts say, other than the statutory warnings and degree of violence, the south regional censor board intently scruti-nises factual correctness of whatever is portrayed on screen, be it politics or historical fact. “This is to avoid unrest among communities and groups that may take offence to what is being portrayed. A director can choose to fictionalise scenes, but it can be done only to a certain degree,” says a source.
“Most directors are more cautious now especially after the ‘Annapoorani’ uproar,” says T G Thyagarajan, former member of the CBFC national board and revising and tribunal committee. “In the films I produce, I double check that there is no content that offends a sect or person. Though it cuts into creativity and freedom of expression, it is unavoidable because of the sheer volume of funds pumped into a film. We cannot afford censorship delays.”
In terms of censorship, all films are certified by an examining officer and four advisory panel members, appointed by the Union govt for two years. “Although there is no scope for prejudice while viewing a film because, other than the regional officer, no one (committee members, director, and producer) knows who will be viewing which films. However, the influence of external politics can play on the minds of the committee members. It cannot be helped,” says former regional officer of the Central Board of Film Certification, Veerabadra Packirisamy.
“The panel is diverse and has homemakers, lawyers, doctors, journalists, politicians and so on, so opinions are varied. A panel member may object to a scene or dialogue which may favour certain ideologies, but it is up to the regional officer to decide whether revisions need to be made,” says Packirisamy.
During his time as a regional officer, Packirisamy says, panel members felt the references to 2G scam in the 2014 Vijay-starrer ‘Kaththi’ ought to be removed. “I retained them because I felt it was the filmmakers’ creative expression.”
Similarly, Thyagarajan was part of a panel scrutinising ‘Thalaiva’ (2013) directed by A L Vijay for a scene that showed political flags belonging to a certain TN party. “It is a rule that party flags, names or colours cannot be shown on screen. We asked the filmmakers to change the flag colours and cut certain dialogues,” he says.
But, says Thyagarajan, political sensibilities have intensified only in the past few years. “I’ve been in the field for 40 years. Films were made and released irrespective of their political views. But now, with a lot of organisations politicising issues, producers have become defensive and are thinking twice before taking up films with strong content,” says Thyagarajan.
Independent filmmakers also find it restrictive. “If we write anything political, the next issue is whether the film will get past the censor board,” says actor-director Lingeshwer S, who won the Best Actor award at the Golden Lion International Film Festival in Kolkata. “We have to be creative in thought while keeping our political views in check.”
Ravi hasn’t produced a movie since. “It’s been 17 years but I decided to go back to working as a cinematographer.”
In more recent incidents, ‘Oh My God 2’ (2023) directed by Amit Rai came under fire from Agra’s Rashtriya Hindu Parishad Bharat for portraying Lord Shiva in an ‘unconventional’ way, while Vishwa Hindu Parishad members filed a complaint against the makers of Nayanthara-starrer ‘Annapoorani’(2023), after its release on Netflix for allegedly ‘hurting Hindu sentiments’. Netflix responded by taking down the film and its makers posted an apology. Its director Nilesh Krishnaa says that while OTT platforms cater to a specific demographic, theatrical releases have a larger number of stakeholders. “So, you simply have to play by their rules.”
Though the Cinematograph Act and IT Rules, 2021, do not require streaming platforms to carry the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) cut, OTT platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have begun streaming those versions. In the OTT version of Vijay-starrer, ‘Leo’ (2023), the song ‘Naa Ready’, beeps replaced profanities and lyrics that glorified smoking. In the 2023 film ‘Japan’, the names of prominent business personalities Ambani and Adani were muted in a dialogue.
The list of prohibitions from the CBFC is already extensive, says Yadav. “Filmmakers have to watch out about portraying women negatively, graphic violence, ex-plicit sex scenes, and substance use without appropriate disclaimers. And now, one has to contend with external political pressures imposing their views. Filmmakers should have the liberty to infuse their views, even if they are political, into their art. directors and producers must advocate for their creative vision.”
In this regard, Union govt’s Cinematograph Rules 2024 state that CBFC plans to gauge public response to films through seminars with critics, writers, and industry figures, and conduct surveys to assess impact on viewers.
Industry experts say, other than the statutory warnings and degree of violence, the south regional censor board intently scruti-nises factual correctness of whatever is portrayed on screen, be it politics or historical fact. “This is to avoid unrest among communities and groups that may take offence to what is being portrayed. A director can choose to fictionalise scenes, but it can be done only to a certain degree,” says a source.
“Most directors are more cautious now especially after the ‘Annapoorani’ uproar,” says T G Thyagarajan, former member of the CBFC national board and revising and tribunal committee. “In the films I produce, I double check that there is no content that offends a sect or person. Though it cuts into creativity and freedom of expression, it is unavoidable because of the sheer volume of funds pumped into a film. We cannot afford censorship delays.”
In terms of censorship, all films are certified by an examining officer and four advisory panel members, appointed by the Union govt for two years. “Although there is no scope for prejudice while viewing a film because, other than the regional officer, no one (committee members, director, and producer) knows who will be viewing which films. However, the influence of external politics can play on the minds of the committee members. It cannot be helped,” says former regional officer of the Central Board of Film Certification, Veerabadra Packirisamy.
“The panel is diverse and has homemakers, lawyers, doctors, journalists, politicians and so on, so opinions are varied. A panel member may object to a scene or dialogue which may favour certain ideologies, but it is up to the regional officer to decide whether revisions need to be made,” says Packirisamy.
During his time as a regional officer, Packirisamy says, panel members felt the references to 2G scam in the 2014 Vijay-starrer ‘Kaththi’ ought to be removed. “I retained them because I felt it was the filmmakers’ creative expression.”
Similarly, Thyagarajan was part of a panel scrutinising ‘Thalaiva’ (2013) directed by A L Vijay for a scene that showed political flags belonging to a certain TN party. “It is a rule that party flags, names or colours cannot be shown on screen. We asked the filmmakers to change the flag colours and cut certain dialogues,” he says.
But, says Thyagarajan, political sensibilities have intensified only in the past few years. “I’ve been in the field for 40 years. Films were made and released irrespective of their political views. But now, with a lot of organisations politicising issues, producers have become defensive and are thinking twice before taking up films with strong content,” says Thyagarajan.
Independent filmmakers also find it restrictive. “If we write anything political, the next issue is whether the film will get past the censor board,” says actor-director Lingeshwer S, who won the Best Actor award at the Golden Lion International Film Festival in Kolkata. “We have to be creative in thought while keeping our political views in check.”