Shashi Tharoor introduces Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill seeking to remove 'outdated provisions'

Shashi Tharoor on Friday introduced the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill , 2018 , in the Parliament to strengthen the notion of artistic freedom and do away with feudal provisions hampering it. In the Lok Sabha, the Thiruvananthapuram MP proposed that the Central Board of Film Certification should be a ‘certification’ body, not a ‘censorship’ body.

1/4 On Fri I introduced my Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2018, to remove the outdated provisions which hamper the free flow of free speech, especially artistic freedom. The protection of artistic freedom is essential for the development of our culture &our democracy. pic.twitter.com/fEzoXTIT7V

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) August 6, 2018

In his tweet, the Congress leader also mentioned that the overriding control of the government over the CBFC’s decisions should be curbed. He also called the body’s power and the government’s ability to review its decisions, as to whether or not a film should be screened, “regressive and paternalistic”. Owing to the indistinct powers that currently reside with the CBFC, Tharoor says he has created comprehensive guidelines for the body to follow so that it does not pass orders without proper justification.

3/4 The existing guidelines for certification are broad &vague, allowing theCBFC to pass absurd orders such as muting individual words of dialogue, like the term ‘cow’ in a documentary on AmartyaSen. My Bill introduces comprehensive guidelines for gradation in film certification.

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) August 6, 2018

Finally, the bill aims to do away with the State’s power to ban a film, which he says should be the “last resort to maintain public order”. The debate around the existing Cinematograph Act gathered steam after multiple states in India banned Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s  Padmaavat . The states claimed that Section 6 of the act empowers them to stop the release of any film which poses a threat to public order.

Tharoor’s bill was hailed by filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt on Twitter. He thanked Tharoor for giving the industry’s “anguish a voice”.

Life roars at us when it wants us to change. If the film maker continues to be straitjacketed by these regressive rules in the digital age it would indeed be a tragedy. Thank you for giving our anguish a voice. https://t.co/A7E9qsnV9w

— Mahesh Bhatt (@MaheshNBhatt) August 6, 2018