Panel led by Shyam Benegal submits its report to I&B ministry

KOLKATA: Filmmaker Goutam Ghosh, a member of the Shyam Benegal-led Censor Board revamp committee, said the panel has submitted some recommendations to the Information and Broadcasting ministry regarding censorship in films.

HT Image

The Benegal panel in its first report had urged the government to lay down a “holistic framework for certification of films”.

Asked to comment on the Bombay HC observations about the Udta Punjab controversy, describing the Censor Board as a body meant to certify films and not censor them, Ghosh said, “There need not be censorship in films, but there can be certifications in other ways...What I mean will be clear if our recommendations are acted upon,” he said.

FILM ON DRUGS CLEARED

In the wake of the ongoing controversy over certification of Udta Punjab, the Censor Board has cleared Punjabi filmmaker Baljeet Singh’s film Dhee Punjab Di with a ‘U’ certificate. The film looks at female foeticide and drug epidemic in the state. “When I took my film to them for certification, they just asked me to cut one particular scene where a young boy snorts a drug. They said my film deserves a ‘U’ certificate as drugs is a pan-India issue today,” Baljeet said. IANS