India will move to a system of graded certification of movies, instead of the current regime of cutting of scenes, Rajiv Takru, an official of the ministry of Information & Broadcasting said at a conference today.
Speaking at Samvaad 2011 in Mumbai, Thakru also said that the government may change the name of the Central Board of Film Certification to the Indian Board of Film Certification.
“The changes envisaged in the Cinematograph Bill [being framed by the Government] aims that films be certified according to content so that it is viewed by different age groups or under parental guidance for those age groups rather than censor or cut scenes or insist on certain scenes deleted,” he said.
The new system would be more like those in Western countries where films are not chopped indiscriminately by the Government in an effort to make it suitable for the general public. In countries such as the US, the films are given separate certification based on the level of violence, sex etc.. and are therefore proscribed for different sections of the society such as children based on these certificates.
India has just two levels right now — U for everyone and A for adults only.
Responding to calls by the industry heads for greater transparency, the new Censor Board Chairperson Leela Samson said that from today, film producers can apply for film certification online. “We are also looking at reducing the certification fees for non-feature films.. such as documentaries,” she added.