Nerve Endings Firing Away

We take for granted censorship in Bollywood movies and aren’t fazed when we hear of harried directors made to run from pillar to post regarding some ‘objectionable’ scenes in their movies. Even when decisions like the recent one to ban smoking from movies or else be accompanied with a health warning has lead to outrage among bloggers, I have not come across a single editorial in the mainstream media (Aamir ranted about the decision a little but ended up confusing everyone by granting the government the right to ban smoking altogether). I have often wondered why anyone hasn’t sought legal assistance against the very idea of censorship. I was baffled when I read that a high-court ruling in 1970 has effectively affirmed the role of the government as a film censor. However, they also make ambiguous statements that still cause director-censor board wrangling:

“It is not elements of rape, leprosy, sexual immorality which should attract the censor’s scissors but how the theme is handled by the producer.”

No wonder one person’s ‘context’ draws another’s gasp of shock. Frankly, we are better off without the censor. Let the public decide. If it is soft-pron movies they want, they will get it. Relentless marauders haven’t damaged our ‘rich culture and heritage’, what makes the government think that a stupid movie can?

Update: Sruthijith over at Indian Express writes against state-controlled ‘culture protection’.