Associations set to take the sleaze out of trade mags
Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 23, 2015)

On Thursday, a joint statement signed by the three producers' Associations-Indian Motion Pictures Producers' Association (IMPPA), Indian Film and TV Producers Council (IFTPC) and Western Indian Film Producers Association (WIFPA)—was sent to the editors of all trade magazines. The letter stated that they are not to print film posters of under-production or about-to-release films unless it is cleared by any one of these three bodies, "with no cost involved".

Naresh Mohonot, an executive member of IMPPA and General Secretary of Filmmakers Combine, points out that the Information & Broadcasting Ministry has invested these associations with power to scrutinize all publicity material to ensure there's no vulgarity. "But today, with all the semi-porn ads, it's impossible to take some of these magazines home The editors have been told to follow the guidelines stated in the letter, with immediate effect," he states.

Vikas Mohan, Vice President, IFTPC, and the editor-printer-publisher of Super Cinema, insists that it was time to draw the line before the ministry withdrew the powers. "My magazine has never accepted such ads but others do and were giving the industry a bad name," he reasons.

His brother, Kumar Mohan, editor of Bollywood and TV Reporter, agrees with him but acknowledges that the small filmmakers who use these ads to lure in distributors will be badly hit in an already shrinking market.

Producer Sandeep Malani whose film Beyond promotes itself with a poster of a semi-nude woman, says, "Guidelines are good, but they shouldn't interfere with the creative process. Posters are promotional tools to grab eyeballs. The poster of a 'nude' Aamir Khan in PK went viral. Producers spent lakhs to book front pages of magazines. They wouldn't want to print boring ads?"

Newly appointed member of the Censor Board, Ashoke Pandit, points out that a producer can go to any of the trade bodies and get a NOC. The check-mate was necessary!