Leela Samson Hardly Attended The Censor Board Office

New Censor Board Chairman Pahlaj Nihalani is in a controversy even before he has settled down in his official chair. His predecessor Leela Samson quit citing 'political interference in films (read Messenger of God)'. But this man says he means business. 

His Khar office is full of bouquets and he struggles to find a place to pose for a picture. Excerpts from a candid conversation that followed::

Did you know that you were going to be selected as Leela Samson's successor?
Not at all. 



When did you learn about it?
I was entering Kush's (Sinha) wedding reception and my phone started ringing. People at the reception party started congratulating me. For a few minutes, I forgot where I was. I got an official intimation from the Censor Board only the next day (pauses). 

Go on...
I am enjoying it. My phone has still not stopped ringing. The film industry has welcomed me. There's lot of work to be done. 

Will you see all the films?
Certainly not. I am putting a system in place. I shall see only those films whose content I am doubtful about. And mind you, no discrimination will be brought into play. Every filmmaker, big or small, will be weighed equally.

And what is this policy of 'no cuss words' which you are implementing?
Cuss words are never supposed to make it to the movies. I don't know how they became so rampant in our films. Why are we hell bent on showing foul language in cinema which is a widely travelling medium? Is it necessary for millions of people to know that a certain sect of people in our country utter abuses indiscriminately?

Some filmmakers believe that certain subjects become dilute otherwise...
Rubbish. Gaali dene se you drive your point home, else you can't? Did Guru Dutt and Yash Chopra need expletives in their films to say what they want to? Do I need to tell you which movies Hrishikesh Mukherjee made and what was their success rate?

Aren't you inviting a lot of flak by implementing the 'no cuss words' formula? Many of your filmmaker friends will start hating you...
I have no friends in this industry.

Except Shatrughan Sinha...
He is family.

Any new CBFC decision in the pipeline?
Most Internet trailers exhibit objectionable stuff. We are now thinking of making it mandatory that Internet trailers would need a censor certificate before they are uploaded. 

Are you advocating TV censorship?
Why not? Why have double standards? There's so much vulgarity in comedy shows. Even Bigg Boss is ridiculously vulgar. I am also curious to know why programmes on Doordarshan require a Censor certificate but the content on other channels does not.

Leela Samson said that there is too much political interference in CBFC...
I will not say anything about what she felt. I shall deliver of what is expected of me. I shall not flout the guidelines. 

Does having a Mumbai-based CBFC Chairman ensure better functioning than having a Chennai-based (Samson) one?
It's the government's privilege to take that decision, but a Mumbai-based Chairman is a better proposition than a Chennai-based who hardly attended office. At least, other members won't get a free hand then. Besides, board members need workshops. Those workshops had stopped. I am starting them, very soon.

Are you in favour of a new CInematograph Act?
Of course. Look, this no cuss words formula is not my personal decision. But yeah, I believe that the moral fabric of the country should be preserved. Does freedom of expression mean that filmmakers break the rules to attract audience? Let's take the case of Delhi Belly. What did it gain? The film has still not been aired on national television. 
Take the case of Grand Masti. I and my family walked out from it in the interval. It was the height of embarrassment. 
Why are film-makers spending two/three years of their life just to make individual statements and lose money? Isn't the blasphemy in Hindi films the main reason why the satellite market has crashed?

You hinted that other members of CBFC got a free hand because Samson didn't attend office. Do you have a foolproof means to control underhand dealings?
I will have full transparency. Every information regarding every film will be online. The industry is very small and I always keep my eyes and ears open. If I come to know of any nefarious activity,  I shall look into it. I shall always be just a phone call away. Filmmakers should also come forward and tell me if anyone from my staff indulges in taking bribes. Above all, I won't attend the CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification) office only when I am not in Mumbai.