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Subhash K Jha (DNA; April 26, 2016)

Enlarge ImageForeign films (Hollywood ones, included) needn’t seek clearance from the Animal Welfare Board Of India (AWBI) any longer. As a result, films like The Revenant and The Jungle Book, which feature several scenes with animals, can do without the AWBI’s clearance, thanks to the Indian government.

What the order essentially says, is that the Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals Act, 1960 is not applicable to foreign films as this Act is applicable when the film is being shot, not at the time of its release.

Censor Board chief Pahlaj Nihalani, who has actively campaigned against the AWBI’s intervention in foreign films says, “We have initiated moves to stop Hollywood and foreign films from seeking NOCs from the Animal Welfare Board. We are not qualified to judge how Western films use animals. A lot of times the scenes with animals are CG (computer-generated) as was the case in The Jungle Book. Moreover, how can Hollywood producers be expected to get approval from the AWBI? Imagine if our Indian films have to explain the use of animals to the American equivalent of the AWBI at the time of its release in the US! I am glad the rule has been scrapped. It makes us look like a more cinema-friendly nation on the global platform.”