THE TIME OF THE BAN-DITS
From deciding what to watch, to what to eat, the ban brigade made 2015 an eventful year
Year 2015 saw one too many a ban — some hilarious, some ridiculous and some that got everyone up in arms. Here are some bans that got social media buzzing.
The Censor Board, headed by Pahlaj Nihlani, decided to teach us how long a kissing scene should last and this they decided while censoring the Bond film Spectre. Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, who has not shied away from expressing his thoughts on any film related issue, says, “Our budgets are becoming bigger and movies becoming a global phenomenon, but totalitarian thought has reached down our necks.” While the authorities continue their ban agenda the youth was surely not amused and ad film director Prahlad Kakkar says the reaction is apt.
India’s Daughter
Leslee Udwin’s documentary India’s Daughter based on the December 16, 2012 Delhi gangrape, was ready to go on air, but then the Indian government decided we are not yet ready for it. We weren’t even allowed to watch it online.
Porn ban
The government’s decision to ban 857 adult websites was met with a lot of criticism. The ban was lifted partially.
50 Shades of Grey
The government decided that the Hollywood movie based on EL James’ erotic novel was not fit for Indian audiences. The CBFC decided that the film had too much explicit content and was banned in Indian theatres.
Cuss words in films
Bas***d, son of a b***h, a**h**e were just some of the words in the long list that Censor Board members were made to watch out for, after Nihalani took over the CBFC chair. However, the ban was withdrawn later.
Beef ban
During the four-day festival of Jains, the law of banning beef in India, especially in Maharashtra, got a lot of criticism from all quarters.
Maggi, Maggi, Maggi!
The whole nation was in mourning when the instant noodle was banned owing to the excessive amount of MSG. However, the ache din returned with the ban being lifted after a few months.
There has been a certain kind of move on the film front — from the CBFC barely being a certification body to ushering in the dark ages of censorship Mahesh Bhatt, filmmaker The youth is always against ban because a ban is not a solution to anything. It is an imposed form of behaviour, which when you are not convinced, is just banned Prahlad Kakkar, ad film director