India’s Censor Board has been quite a lot in the news, albeit for the wrong reasons. The most controversial was the appointment of film maker Pahalaj Nihalani, who adopted a strict moralistic agenda, allegedly on the behest of his saffron patrons.
Once again Mr. Nihalani and the Censor Board are in the news regarding the new James Bond film ‘Spectre’. Deeming the ‘length’ of kisses in appropriate, Mr. Nihalani cut them down, as well as some other scenes, as he felt that this would ruin the ‘moral fabric’ of the naition, drawing the anger of not only the citizens via social media, but also his bretherin in the film making fraternity.
Alligations about Mr. Nihalani being a mere ‘kathputli’ (puppet), fronting for the larger ‘sinister’ saffronisation agenda of the ruling BJP government are rife.
In this context, India’s Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said “ It’s an autonomous body and I want to advice them to work as a board. An individual’s views need not be propagated and censorship should be in tandem with the Constitution.”
Wags are now asking which ‘constitution’ was the good minister referring to…Constitution of India, or that of the BJP?
