Censorship

This was written long back....Sometime during September 2005. This was also my first...So, its appropiate that the blog should begin with this post, howsoever out dated the views might seem(trust me, they were very relevant then...but then times change :)). However, the fact remains that to relate to this post, you have to travel back in time to the not so near yet not so far past. Happy reading. This post is titled "Censorship".

Censorship seems to be the order of the day in as closed a society as ours. Venting thoughts and opinions which border on the radical, invites censure even from peers.

Censorship from a third party is always resented. While political organizations who consider themselves ideologically driven impose their version of civility, our democratic souls are irked to a high degree. What’s in a name? Ask the activists from a prominent political organization in the country and you’d feel as if it’s the beginning and the end of everything. How else could you justify their act of going all out in a successful attempt to preserve the culture and heritage of our beloved Mumbai, which they felt was being threatened when a certain director named his yet to be released movie ‘Bombay Godfather’? These activists burnt effigies of the director, held protest rallies and saw to it that the director ‘corrects’ the name of the film to ‘Mumbai Godfather’. Mumbai’s culture and heritage which was on the verge of being shattered, was restored thanks to these ‘patriotic’ individuals with foresight. I guess, one fine morning I'll wake up to find that they have changed Mani Ratnam's 'Bombay' to 'Mumbai'!

An artist hates the scissors as a prisoner hates the rope. Shyam Benegal hallucinates about human beings morphing into scissors whenever he hears the word ‘censor’. Nagesh Kukunoor can’t stop talking about his seven films that have been snipped before they have been declared fit for proper viewing. This when the Censor Board has passed other films which have the cusswords tossed around for special effects and violence against women/animals defined in the Cinematograph Act as their running theme. What is obscenity? How much liberty can a filmmaker take when showing violence? Which film is suitable for viewing by a teenager and what makes watchable fare for a ‘mature adult’? Filmmakers have long grappled with these questions with the Censor Board giving them cuts instead of satisfactory answers.

Here's something I read somewhere the other day. A man, after a long day of hard work in the office, goes for a movie. He's all excited and is anticipating quality cinema as the movie is by a famous and critically acclaimed director of his time. Inside the theatre, he sees everything but a movie. He's showered with advertisements, ranging from detergents to deosprays; he has to put through countless documentaries highlighting our heritage and culture, all in the expectation of the movie. After about one and a half hour there's a big 'The End' on the screen. The show has ended. Disappointed and confused the man asks his neighbour, ‘Is it over?’. The neighbour answers, ‘Yes’. ‘But where's the movie?’ asks our man. To this his neighbour promptly replies, ‘All of it has been censored’!

Though hypothetical, such a situation is not difficult to imagine with the kind of censorship that the present day cinema is subjected to. Recently (or not so recently), they have started the concept of 'Parallel Cinema' which deals with matters of utmost concern in today's society. But with the Censor Board sticking it's pair of scissors out, there's not much a director can portray in such cinema. Censorship limits the artist's creativity but as we all know art is limitless.

Personal censorship is what we observe when we prefer 'the bird and the bees' over 'man and woman', its what we face when we indulge in phony shows of nationalism, when reproduction lectures end up producing the amoeba and doesn’t progress beyond that concept, when dressing up or dressing down is regulated by the intangible rules of socializing. Unfortunately, in our country, sex is a taboo subject. Parents and teachers shun from giving the young generation education on that particular subject. ‘How can I discuss sex with my daughter? What am I supposed to say?’ asks a particular parent. This seems to be the general trend. But then, they do not realize that in avoiding the subject they are only spreading ignorance. The time has come that we forego the attitude that ‘ignorance is bliss’ and perform our responsibilities in guiding the young generation through the right path.

Ever wondered why Sachin Tendulkar, arguably the greatest batsman of all time (with due regards to Sir Donald Bradman), till date, never commented about the evils that the game offers, lest he sparks off a controversy. It isn’t surprising that players turn to the ‘art’ of commentary only when they have well and truly retired. Our heroes would never draw their swords until and unless they are dead sure that the war is over. Speaking of controversy, a nineteen year wait for an elusive win outside the subcontinent being ended, also took a backseat amidst the controversy surrounding the persons holding the two most difficult jobs in India( and probably the world ), those of the Coach and the Captain of the Indian cricket team. So when Greg Chappel and Sourav Ganguly made a mistake in coming out in the open with their differences, it came as no surprise that the media took full advantage and hyped the issue to such an extent that a private discussion on team matters in the dressing room became the most publicly speculated matter in the entire country in recent times. Don’t you think they should be left alone? Afterall both of them have the same objective and that is to carry the team forward towards glory.

We have been censoring ourselves since time immemorial and that too, conditioned by rules made by some who don’t matter much. Even in personal life, we forfeit many a free thought at the altar of tact, compromise and diplomacy. Free speech you say. I say, I disagree.