‘Censorship is now a promotional tool’
Ever since the censorship debate caught fire, several names from Bollywood have said how the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), aka Censor Board, stifles creativity. The latest to speak on this is actor Randeep Hooda (left), whose film Jism 2, completed five years of its release on August 3. The film, which launched former adult movie star Sunny Leone in Bollywood, was almost derailed by the Censor Board, which refused to certify it without some cuts. Randeep says, “Youngsters — the people you’re trying to prevent from watching [a film’s] content — are mostly on the Internet. Whatever you’re censoring is actually generating more curiosity, and everything is easily is available on the Internet, which remains uncensored.” Like many other actors and filmmakers, Randeep asserts that the CBFC should only certify what kind of content is appropriate for which age group, and not demand cuts.
IS CBFC CHIEF PAHLAJ NIHALANI GETTING PAID BY FILMMAKERS TO CREATE HYPE OVER CENSORSHIP, JOKES RANDEEP HOODA
The actor points out an interesting fact: how the whole censorship issue benefits a film. “Look how censorship is being used to create hype around a film. It clearly has become a great promotional tool [for filmmakers], and I suspect if Mr Pahlaj Nihalani [CBFC Chairman] is getting paid,” jokes the actor.
However, Randeep adds that it’s unwise to fall for the hype, citing how one such recent release turned out to be “a bloody bore”. The actor says that he later found out the controversy was all planned.