Why are filmmakers miffed with the censor board?

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is once again getting flak from filmmakers for taking unusually long to clear films.

While Tamil actor Vishal raised bribery allegations against the body in 2023, the team of John Abraham-starrer Vedaa has complained of an inordinate delay in setting up a revising committee as directed by the examining committee.

The film's theatrical release is scheduled for 15 August.

Though trade experts and filmmakers agree that the board has made the application and certification process easy, they claim the body is understaffed to handle the huge volume of content. For example, each version of a multilingual film needs to be certified separately, requiring more hands and time.

Filmmakers say delays in certification leave them with less time, often very close to the release date, to market and promote their films. “The time has come for the body to recognize that with changing narratives, it needs a certain volume of people to watch and approve the volume of content that is made, especially at a time when we need to resurrect the theatrical segment with a regular supply of films,” said Monisha Advani, producer at Emmay Entertainment, co-producers of Vedaa.

Also Read: A censor board for OTT platforms? Think again.

Advani said the revising committee was extremely punctilious and did not wish to make changes to the film. However, because of the prolonged process, the movie's team had to address the concerns of partners, including distributors and exhibitors, as to why promotional material had not been released weeks before the theatrical release date.

CBFC chairman Prasoon Joshi did not respond to Mint’s queries, and emails sent to the official CBFC email ID also remained unanswered.

More staff needed 

A film producer said there was an urgent need for the censor board to keep up with the number of films getting made, especially since it is a process that filmmakers pay for. “One understands, though, that nowadays films are made and released in multiple languages, so each language has to be watched and certified separately. A lot of producers are also sending OTT content their way to avoid controversies later and to secure a satellite TV release for the film over time,” the producer said on the condition of anonymity.

Also Read: Theatres struggle to schedule shows as multiple films clash at box office

To be sure, filmmakers like the one mentioned above also add that given the frequent outrage over films nowadays, the censor board is often at a loss when it comes to passing content. Nobody wants to take a call to avoid getting blamed later, leading to delays when scenes or dialogues are found to be sensitive.

That said, producers often come with incomplete paperwork. A film must be brought to the censor board at least 60 days before the theatrical release.

“The CBFC is dealing with a certain amount of red tapism because every step takes long. But hiring people for the job is not a joke, and budgets are limited. It’s a terribly compliance-heavy process,” said Yusuf Shaikh, business head of feature films at production and distribution firm Percept Pictures.

Also Read: Brands, films and web content tap into nostalgia to drive consumption