Essay – Views on censorship and freedom in the art of filmmaking | SBI PO, BOB Manipal, NICL AO 2017 Descriptive

“Art in any
form cannot be judged.”

Filmmaking is a bag full of various art forms.
Cinematography, photography, videography, editing, script writing, direction,
and acting are a few of these art forms which come together to be a film. But
after a film is made, it has to obtain a certificate from the Censor board,
which is regulated by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Its
certifications are categorised into Universal, Adults, and Parental Guidance
before the exhibition of a movie.

There are several examples in the history of Indian
film industry where the views of the board members and the filmmakers
conflicted. Filmmakers, being artists, accuse the Censor Board being arbitrary
in contrast to the views of the board members.

Censorship is the suppression or control on the ideas
that an artist work upon to make a movie. In addition to this, we need to know
that freedom of expression or speech is guaranteed to every citizen of India by
the constitution. But the question is, should any of the above have a limit?
This is a debate that is going on for decades and has still not reached any
conclusion.

It was once quoted by a famous filmmaker, “We like to do everything. We want to commit
every sin. But we get offended when we are shown the mirror.” This makes
sense as no one is unaware of the level of filthiness filled in our country.
Cinema being the most reachable source acts as a medium of realisation and
awareness because to get rid of the filthiness, it is important to bring people
to consciousness first.

On the other hand, the Censor board’s decisions to
edit certain misleading parts of movies cannot be straightforwardly declared
unjust. As the content reach the masses and leave an impact on their minds it
is important to distinguish between healthy and unhealthy.

It is high time that old rules of Censor board should
be modified and regulated according to the time we live in but it is also
equally important for the filmmakers to understand the real meaning of freedom
and stop exploiting to the extent where it becomes unavoidable.