THE TIMES OF INDIA (November 23, 2017)

Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chairman Prasoon Joshi said that “it is important not to brush things under the carpet” and to “acknowledge it if people are becoming sensitive”. India is going through huge changes and it is important to be patient at this point, Joshi said in response to a question over the Padmavati row at a panel discussion at IFFI.

“Society as a collective should know where we stand. And it is important not to suddenly take a high ground and say I don’t want to acknowledge it. If people are becoming sensitive or insensitive, acknowledge it. Because eventually the intent of society should be good. Together things will work out in a positive direction,” Joshi said. He said in a huge and complex country like India, everyone has a different language of argument as not everyone is privileged in use of language to put their point across effectively.

He said the privileged few may not be aware about the realities of the larger section of society in India. “I don’t think we should have a knee-jerk reaction to anything. There is a change and the change will require patience,” said Joshi.

MP schools to teach life of Padmavati
Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced on Wednesday that the life of Rani Padmavati will be a part of school education in the state. “Rani Padmavati is the Rashtramata and a chapter on her life will be included in school textbooks in the state from next year,” the CM said on the sidelines of a programme organised for distribution of benefits to farmers under a government scheme. On November 20, the CM had announced that the controversial film ‘Padmavati’ will not be released in the state unless corrections were made, making MP the first state to ban the movie. That was the first time the CM called Rani Padmavati “Rashtramata”.
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CBFC chairperson Prasoon Joshi on the many controversies surrounding the ongoing IFFI and the Censor Board
As told to Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 23, 2017)

The fact is that there is a churn. All perspectives are important, and it is important to not brush things under the carpet. Things should be upfront and tabled. If you will not express - pleasure or displeasure - society together as a collective will not know where to stand. As a society, we are shaping up as we speak.

It is also important to not take a high ground suddenly and say, "I do not want to acknowledge this issue". If people are becoming sensitive, acknowledge it. If people are becoming insensitive, acknowledge it too. Eventually, what matters, is that the intent of the society should be good — we should be going ahead from where we formerly were to a better place. As long as that intent is there, I think things will work out in a positive direction.

It is imperative to know that we are going through a huge phase of change. We are the fastest growing country — economically, culturally, and with respect to our thinking and lifestyle. Few are privileged and a lot of people are joining the progress now. Progress is reaching out to more and more people every day.

I was in the US for a brand conference recently, we were discussing television advertisements and someone said firmly, "The 30-second advertisement is dead. Gone!" But I was remembering a staff member who told me that he had just purchased his first ever television set a few months ago. So, as a country, our problems are different. We are living in a country where so many things are happening for the first time. But I think that everything is much larger than that. We are a huge, complex and layered country and we should be able to take a step back and look at the larger picture. To be able to take cognizance of situations requires patience and effort. In order to understand what is happening in a larger way there cannot be a knee-jerk reaction to anything.

The change will require a sense of understanding from the people who are already privileged. A few of us have the ability to argue and a few of us do not have the ability to argue. I watch TV debates, I am at literature festivals and I see people struggling to ask questions because they are dismissed before they have a chance to say what they want to. Some have the facility and the right knowledge of language, so being dismissive is condescending. We are at a time where people are using language extremism to prove a point. But a lot of people are not used to this debate. They are feeling it but they are unable to put their point forward in a nuanced way. So I think the people who are privileged need to take a step forward and help the others. Help each other, join hands.

Deep down, the people feel and mean well, but not everybody is articulate enough to use the right choice of words. I believe that the right noise is very different from the right intent. A festival like IFFI is not an award show. It is not four performances put together for one televised program. IFFI is an institution. A platform like IFFI is extremely necessary. It should be supported whole-heartedly because only after coming here, can you raise all kinds of questions. IFFI is for people who want to make movies. The purpose this festival serves is far greater than anything else and that is why it should be attended.