Dear adult Indians, shame on you

Two related news stories last week caught my eye. One of them, reported by IANS, was about how the film censor board was pleased with Karan Johar, the producer of Agneepath, because the film’s newspaper ads clearly stated that it was rated U/A (which in simple terms means children are allowed to watch the film only when accompanied by parents) and that the film contained certain violent scenes that may be unsuitable for kids.

The story had quotes from Pankaja Thakur, CEO of the Censor Board for Film Certification (CBFC), who lauded Johar’s move, praising his co-operation with the board. She also said that the violent content of the film had been toned down on their insistence, which is what made them give the film a U/A rating, and not an A (Adults only) rating.

“It has a lot of bloodshed but none of us felt disturbed by it. The violence is not the type that can psychologically damage a child and the softer scenes of the film managed to offset the darker part of it,” Thakur was quoted as saying. It was astounding to have discovered that the censor board officials weren’t just custodians of morality anymore; they have now taken on a new role — psychoanalysts.

 “Violence not the type that can psychologically damage a child.”

What kind of violence affects children, then? And how do you decide the violence in Agneepath didn’t fall under that category?

The film starts with a group of villagers holding an upright schoolteacher responsible for raping a minor. A scene has the girl bleeding profusely, with some of the blood splattered on the teacher’s clothes. The next has the antagonist, Kancha, drag the schoolteacher along the ground before hanging him from a tree and strangling him to death. This is just the beginning. From there, the film goes on to show a kid shooting down a policeman, a pimp selling minor girls in an open market, and many other scenes of characters stabbing each other multiple times; slicing, shooting, beating each other to pulp.

 “Softer scenes of the films manage to offset the darker part of it.” Is that why three years ago, the censor board gave Ghajini a U/A rating too, because the “softer” scenes in the film offset the ones where the killing machine, played by superstar Aamir Khan, brutally finished lives, breaking limbs and twisting necks along the way?

Then there’s the second, more disturbing news from last week: David Fincher’s highly acclaimed film, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, released to much fanfare in other parts of the world and appreciated in good measure, will not be releasing in India. The reason? The censor board asked for cuts that would reduce the screen time by an appalling extent, something Fincher refused to comply with.

I was fortunate to have been part of a group of journalists who were invited to a private screening of the film a couple of months ago. The film, based on Stieg Larsson’s internationally celebrated novel, is about two investigators on the trail of a serial killer who rapes and murders women. The film, as in the book, touches on the relevant issue of crimes committed against women.

One of the most stunning scenes of the film has the female protagonist being anally raped by her guardian. Another graphic scene follows a few minutes later, where the girl exacts her revenge on the man, stripping him naked, driving a rod up his anus and tattooing the words “I am a rapist pig” on his chest.

These scenes, designed for strictly adult viewing, shake you up, bringing you to face some hard truths about the kind of violence and sadomachism women are put through. It’s a serious subject, and is meant to be treated so. How then, can such a film be showed to audiences, with some of its most pertinent scenes cut off?

Or may be, the film didn’t have enough “softer scenes” to offset the more violent ones? The other scenes the censor board objected to show the two lead protagonists having sex where they are — believe it or not — naked. Because we Indians have sex with our clothes on, right?

The censor board works in weird ways. Influential Bollywood personalities get away with murder, quite literally, while a whole lot of others have to run from pillar to post, begging with censor board officials to let a scene, a dialogue, a song make it to a film. Many others have to settle for an A certificate, glad that their film can make it to theatres somehow.

The more amusing bit here is that even after certifying a film with an A rating, the board feels the need to cut, beep and blur scenes in a bid to make films suitable for adult viewers. Even an adult Indian is kept away from the brilliance of a film like The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, where scenes are no more than a means to take the story forward. A story that will be watched around the world, appreciated, enjoyed, discussed, even hated by some. We Indians don’t even have that choice. And that’s a bloody shame.

— Aniruddha Guha somehow finds the time to write on films
between watching and discussing them over cups of black coffee