CBFC reduced to a rubber stamp, I & B intervenes directly in certification

Rapid developments in the Censor Board Of Film Certification (CBFC) are clearly indicative of big changes to come in censorship policies. For now, sources in the know say the Ministry Of Information & Broadcasting has taken direct charge of certification and is ensuring that no producers film is subjected to radical or even nominal cuts.

Apparently disgruntled producers have now taken the I & B route to bypass the censor board.

Says a reliable source close to the CBFC, "Many producers of films with objectionable content like Mastizaade, Kya Kool Hain Hum 3 and something called Miss Teacher which is a graphic story of a nymphomaniac teacher, have all been cleared due to the direct intervention of the I & B ministry."

Sources say the producers of the above films "complained" to the I & B ministry when the CBFC asked for cuts in the lurid and obscene content.

"These films were passed after the I & B ministrys direct intervention. The CBFC has been told not to cut scenes or dialogues in these films. More and more filmmakers are running to the I &B ministry with complaints against CBFCs cuts and getting them restored. The CBFC finds itself reduced to a helpless pawn."