Benegal Committee submits recommendations on censorship

The Benegal panel, in its first report submitted on April 26, had urged the government to lay down a “holistic framework for certification of films.”

Ace 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.

Shyam Benegal has been appointed the head of a newly-formed committee that will recommend revamp of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

“Let’s see how they (the ministry) act on it,” Ghosh said on the sidelines of ‘Bharat Nirman Awards’ in Kolkata last night.

The Benegal panel, in its first report submitted on April 26, had urged the government to lay down a “holistic framework for certification of films.”

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Read: Udta Punjab a technically well-made film, observes Benegal

Asked to comment on the Bombay High Court bench observations about Udta Punjab controversy, describing censor board as a body meant to certify films and not censor them, which could recommend cuts only as per guidelines, 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. The process, I understand, has already begun. I will not say anything beyond that now.”

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Read: Bollywood hails move to revamp censor board

Other members of the committee include actor Kamal Haasan, filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, ad-man Piyush Pandey, film critic Bhawana Somaaya and NFDC Managing Director Nina Lath Gupta.

On the recent deaths of bloggers and murder of a priest and an ashramite in neighbouring Bangladesh, where Ghosh had shot three of his films, he said, “It is a matter of grave misconduct. I believe the Bangladesh government is seriously thinking on the issue. Such attacks should not happen,” he said.

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