Winner of Khatron Ke Khiladi, Ashish Chowdhry, reveals his phobias and that of his filmmaker host too
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 14, 2015)

Hiren Kotwani (BOMBAY TIMES; November 5, 2014)

MUMBAI MIRROR (September 6, 2014)

Vishal Bhardwaj's Haider is the hot topic at the Central Board of Film Certification's office. The Shahid Kapoor-starrer is the last film to be censored by CBFC's suspended CEO, Rakesh Kumar, who is currently in judicial custody after being accused in a bribery case.

The film's leading man famously got tonsured for the role and now Haider too has met with the scissors. The film has been passed with a U/A certificate but only after 41 cuts. The details of the cuts are mentioned on the CBFC's official website (and below).

Some of the scenes removed as per CBFC's directive include, among others: the word 'fu***d', visuals of a burning body, corpses piled into a truck, Haider walking among corpses, a wire inserted into a naked man, a close-up shot of an appendix surgery and a stone-pelting incident.

Kumar, along with the examining committee, not only suggested the cuts but also reviewed the redited film. According to the rule book, the examining committee cannot view the film after the cuts have been introduced and it's brought back to the CBFC. That's when the revising committee steps in.

When contacted, Vishal who is currently in the US, informed through his spokesperson, "The CBFC asked for seven cuts. The film was first submitted to the Board two months before the final edit. When the film came to the revising committee, Vishal along with the film's editor, had made more than 35 cuts to tighten the film. These were not imposed by either the Board or the revising committee."

However, Nandini Sardesai, senior board member who chairs the revising committee, asserted that the film never came to them. "Kumar saw Haider twice and passed it with a U/A certificate. Vishal has apparently agreed to the cuts. But, I don't understand why the revising committee was not approached. That man (read Kumar) was flouting rules," she stated. 

Haider is 161 minutes long and is all set to release on October 2nd. 
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Details of the scenes cut by the Censor Board:

1	Deleted the visuals of Man looks outside window and loads his gun.
2	Deleted the visuals of Character Salman talks on phone
3	Deleted the visuals of Haider walks amongst dead bodies in truck.
4	Deleted the visuals of Zahoor and Khurrams speeches reduced.
5	Deleted the visuals of Salman and Salman follow Haider
6	Deleted the visuals of Haider folows Roohdaar.
7	Deleted the visuals of wild shot of gate of graveyard.
8	Deleted the visuals of millitants take Haider into grave-diggers home
9	Deleted the visuals of security personnel put wire into naked man
10	Deleted the visuals of security personnel put wire into naked man

11	Deleted the visuals of Roohdar and Hilaal sit in the jail cell
12	Deleted the visuals of Arshia hugs Haider.
13	Muted the word "fucked"at 02.41.54
14	Deleted the visuals of Haider points gun at Salman
15	Deleted the visuals of Salman and Salman stone hitting reduced
16	Deleted the visuals of Salman and Salman stone hitting reduced
17	Deleted the visuals of shot of Salman's bloody dead body
18	Deleted the visuals of Salman and Salman stone hitting reduced
19	Deleted the visuals of Haider and Ghazala talk in front of mirror
20	Deleted the visuals of Shot of red muffler in the snow.

21	Deleted the visuals of shot of Liyaqaat entering house
22	Deleted the visuals of Grave digger takes out the hidden guns
23	Deleted the visuals of ikhwan soldier gets shot on the chest and ikhwanis fire guns and run
24	Deleted the visuals of Grave digger fires gun
25	Deleted the visuals of Grave digger throws grenade while gettig shot on his chest
26	Deleted the visuals of burning dead body falls to the gorund
27	Deleted the single dialogue
28	Deleted the visuals of Khurram and Haider watch as Ghazala heads towards the house
29	Deleted the visuals of Haider falters as he steps down from staircase
30	Deleted the visuals of Haider falters as he steps down from staircase

31	Deleted the visuals of Ghazala talks to Haider - shot length reduced
32	Deleted the visuals of dead bodies fly to ground after explosion shots
33	Deleted the visuals of shot of severed hand holding gun length reduced
34	Deleted the visuals of Haider cries upon seeing flames
35	Deleted the visuals of post explosin shot of severed legs hands
36	Deleted the visual of Surgery of appendix close up.
37	Reduced by 40% the visuals of dead bodies in the truck.
38	DeletedGenital torture scene and Removed the scream.
39	Reduced by 50% the visuals of bare back in the song.
40	Deleted the visuals of big stone on head.

41

Reduced by 25% the visuals of violence especially severed body parts and blood(Replaced with servered body parts cleaned with VFX).

Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 26, 2014)

Pravin Mohare, the agent whose recorded evidence got Censor Board CEO Rakesh Kumar arrested, says he is not welcome at the CBFC office anymore. "Some agents don't talk to me and producers whose movies I was handling, have taken away their projects from me," says the 32-year old.

However, he perks up when he mentions his wife, Renuka. "I hadn't kept her in the loop about the CBI connection, but she knew I was disturbed earlier this month. Now she's proud of me," he beams.

Pravin learnt of Rakesh Kumar's 'intentions' when he went to get a Marathi film trailer censored. "I told him I wanted it passed in three days. He rudely told me that it wasn't possible. I stepped out of his cabin and an agent who was close to him and was waiting outside, told me that money would do the trick. I told him I had Rs 9,000 on me. He sent a text and in five minutes told me that the job would be done," recalls Pravin, who paid up the agent and left. "Guess what? I got my certificate in three days."

Mor Dauki Ke Bihav, produced by Chhattisgarh-based Kshamanidhi Mishra, was Pravin's next assignment. And this time, he decided to record the proceedings. He met with the CEO who asked him if he'd completed the paperwork. "I called the Scheduling Officer the next day but was told that my film was not lined up for screening," he says.

Pravin then sent a text to Kumar informing him that he was ready to pay. "He did not respond. The movie was slated for release on August 15 and I had only three days to get a certificate. Since time was short, I decided to meet Kumar again and told him I was carrying Rs 30,000. He told me 'Paisa apne jeb me rakh and stop flying. Your job cannot be done.' I apologised and left the office," recalls Pravin.

Once outside, an agent close to the CEO told him that he couldn't expect to get a film censored for Rs 30,000. He'd have to shell out at least Rs 50,000. "I took a cab to Churchgate. En route I got a call from Shripati Mishra (the agent who was arrested). He told me that it would cost me Rs 70,000. I changed track, and headed straight for the Colaba office of the CBI with audio recordings of my interactions with Rakesh Kumar, along with all the taped phone calls," he reveals.

When Pravin informed the film's producer, he was abused. "Yeh tune kya kiya? My film will now never see the light of day," Mishra wailed. Pravin admits that the film was delayed but it has now been cleared. "He should be proud of me."

Pravin insists that age is on his side and is confident that destiny will not ditch him. "I have done nothing wrong. Shouldn't we stand up for what is right and make efforts to cleanse the system?" he concludes.

Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 25, 2014)

Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 23, 2014)

MUMBAI MIRROR (August 22, 2014)

Government on Thursday barred the release of the controversial Punjabi film Kaum De Heere (Diamonds Of The Community) on former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's assassination in 1984 citing apprehensions of law and order problems in parts of the country. The film produced by Parminder Takhar, Kanwaljit Singh and Sukhpal Mann was to open today.

According to a source, the film is reportedly based on the lives of the assassins who were the PM's bodyguards, Beant Singh, Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh, and glorifies their act. Beant Singh was gunned down on the scene of the murder by the police and Satwant Singh was hanged later. The film was cleared by the CBFC's Mumbai office on May 29 with an 'A' certificate and three cuts.

According to some reports, Censor Board CEO Rakesh Kumar, who was arrested recently by CBI on corruption charges, cleared the film after allegedly taking a bribe of Rs 1 lakh.

The Punjab units of the Congress and BJP had demanded a ban on the controversial film. And the decision to not release it was taken collectively by the Information & Broadcasting Ministry, Home Ministry and the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) after watching the movie.

"We saw the film and decided that it will not be released tomorrow because of the law and order situation that might result from the showing of the film and on the report of the Ministry of Home Affairs report," CBFC Chairperson Leela Samson announced on Thursday.

New Chairperson, ROs and panel members are being recruited as I & B Minister gets pro-active
Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 21, 2014)

A day after Mirror's (August 19) interview with the Chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), Leela Samson, the Information & Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar had a long chat with her during which both agreed that they need to go back to the old system.

Following this interaction, the CBFC will once again start recruiting Regional Officers (RO) who will be primarily responsible for the certification of films. Also, the vacancies for the Examining Committee will be filled up promptly.

Samson had clearly told Mirror that the Board has been reduced to just four-five members. She had also complained that the I & B Ministry had not responded to her appeals. But now, as Samson confirmed, the minister has been appraised and has taken matters into his own hands. "After a long time, I am interacting with someone who appreciates cinema and understands the seriousness of the situation. That's a good sign with the Indian Panaroma just around the corner," she points out.

Samson adds that they are now going all out to appoint new panel members. "And interviews of the candidates for the post of ROs has begun," she adds.

After JP Singh, the last RO of Mumbai (Region) quit following 'differences' with the then CEO Pankaja Thakur, the CEO had become omnipotent. Now it is to be seen if the CEO retains the same powers. "A decision on this is likely to be taken once the picture is clear on Rakesh Kumar's fate," says a source.

Samson's term as Chairperson has ended but she has been asked to continue until her replacement is appointed. In her last interview, she had told Mirror, "The next Chairperson should be from the film industry." This statement has raised a lot of speculations and several names are cropping up in connection with this coveted post. Adds the source, "A decision will be taken soon." 

Abhijit Sathe (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 19, 2014)

The Central Bureau of Film Certification CEO Rakesh Kumar, who was booked in last week after a CBFC panel member and an agent were held accepting bribe allegedly on his behalf, was arrested by the CBI on Monday night.

The arrest, however, was made in another case after a different agent, who was being interrogated for four days and has not been arrested yet, produced evidence about bribes accepted by Kumar from film producers to expedite certification.

Earlier in the day, Censor Board chairperson Leela Samson in an exclusive interview to Mumbai Mirror said that Kumar was not the right choice for CBFC CEO's position, and that only a person related to the film industry should be put in charge of certifying films. She said Kumar used to report directly to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and that no CBFC member from Mumbai was called to watch movies.

CHECK OUT LEELA SAMSON'S EXPLOSIVE INTERVIEW HERE
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FULL REPORT

CBI still hunting for information to link Rakesh Kumar to bribe in first case, in which he's booked.

The CEO of the Central Bureau of Film Certification (CBFC), Rakesh Kumar, who was booked in a bribery case on August 14, was placed under arrest by the CBI on Monday night. However, he was arrested in a different case different from the one he was booked in.

Kumar, a 1997 batch Indian Railway Personal Service officer, who had joined the CBFC on deputation, was arrested on Monday after an agent, who was being interrogated for four days by the CBI, broke down and led the agency to evidence suggesting Kumar's alleged involvement in accepting bribes from producers to expedite film certification.

Kumar will be produced in court on Tuesday, after which the CBI expects to dig out more information in the case involving collusion between the CBFC and film producers. CBI spokesperson Kanchan Prasad confirmed Kumar's arrest.

In the first case, Kumar was booked on August 14 after a CBFC agent and a panel member were arrested for allegedly arranging a bribe of Rs 70,000 on his behalf. The CBI had arrested panel member Sarvesh Jaiswal and agent Shripati Mishra after they allegedly accepted the money from a Chattisgarhi producer whose film certification got delayed.

Kumar hasn't been arrested in the August 14 case as the CBI is looking for evidence to confirm that he had indeed asked Jaiswal and Mishra to collect the money on his behalf.

According to sources, Jaiswal, during his interrogation, gave the names of agents who were close to Kumar. He also revealed the production houses and film producers who had approached Kumar for quick film certification.

One of the agents, named Kishanpalli, was summoned by the CBI. Kishanpalli reportedly broke down during the CBI interrogation and helped the agency collect independent evidence suggesting Kumar's alleged involvement in accepting bribes from certain production houses. The CBI suspects that Kishanpalli was a front man for Kumar. On Monday, Kumar was summoned to the Colaba office of the CBI at 11am and interrogated for several hours before officers placed him under arrest at 8pm.

The CBI had to wait for several days to search two of Kumar's bank lockers and analyse half-a-dozen bank accounts due to the extended weekend. They will do the inspection on Tuesday when the banks open. CBI sources said they have asked the CBFC to submit the details of all films, short films, serials and trailers that Kumar has cleared since he joined the CBFC in January this year.

The agency will also seek information from the CBFC on the illegal system of agents who were roped in by producers to liaise with the CBFC and who in turn allegedly acted as middlemen for the exchange of bribes. "It was always a win-win situation for CBFC functionaries. Producers spend huge amounts to make arrangements worldwide before approaching the CBFC for certification. It is easier for CBFC functionaries to arm-twist producers in such circumstances," a source said.  

Chairperson of the Censor Board, Leela Samson, talks about the recent controversy, drawbacks in the system, and calls for a complete revamp.
Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 19, 2014)

Rakesh Kumar, CBFC CEO, has been accused of taking bribe of Rs 70,000 to clear a film from Chattisgarh, Mor Dauki Ke Bihav...
He wasn't the man for the job. However, the Ministry, in its wisdom, appointed him. I believe that he was under instructions in the changing political climate, not to refer either to me or the Board members, but to report directly to the I & B Ministry. That was exactly what he was doing. No Board members from Mumbai were called to view films, except for Nandini Sardesai who is still a member.

Why does the CBFC (Censor Board of Film Certification) suddenly have so few panel members to certify films?
My term is over but I am suppose to remain till a new Chairperson is appointed. Ditto for some members. Some extensions and appointments should be done pronto. But then, it takes time for a new government I guess. Anyway, arts has always been the last priority with every government. We are down to just 4-5 panelists. The backlog is rising by the hour.

Have you intimated the I & B Ministry about this?
They are aware of the situation, but haven't responded to me. They are running the CBFC directly.

But filmmakers believe that the Board should be kept away from politics...
Any right-minded government, politician or bureaucrat would understand that this is not their job.

Is there any transparent method for certifying films?
Computerisation of applications.

The absence of a Regional Officer (RO) in Mumbai is one important reason for the backlog. The last RO, J P Singh, quit because he and former CEO Pankaja Thakur couldn't see eye-to-eye...
As CEO, she had every right to believe that he was not working in the interest of the CBFC. He had problems with Pankaja and not vice versa.

You think Pankaja's stint should have been extended?
Definitely, she was a good officer. It would have kept the work pattern steady and we could have completed our plans.

Did you fight to get her term extended?
I don't fight with anybody.

Nandini Sardesai didn't approve of Pankaja's policies and style of work...
That's her opinion.

Is it true that Pankaja saw films only with her coterie?
I am not aware of any such instance. Nandini appointed a Tamil 'specialist' to certify a Tamil film recently. Would that be her coterie? Whosoever is available is used.

Does the absence of RO increase work pressure on the CEO?
Absolutely, and also gives the CEO undisputed power. Moreover, he/she has little time to attend to administrative affairs in the Head Office.

Should the CBFC be revamped?
The Justice Mudgal report (which talks about reviewing powers granted to the CBFC) should be passed in Parliament.

Should it be more liberal in its approach?
The country should decide that. Films are a reflection of the people and their culture.

Some believe that CBFC should be done away with completely...
In a future date, I believe self-censorship is the only way out, along with voluntary grading by the director and the producer.

The industry believes that the Chairperson and the CEO should be from the film fraternity?
A valid opinion, with respect to the Chairperson.

Did any filmmaker try to bribe you?
No.

Did you enjoy your tenure?
Why don't we talk about it when it's over?

Would you like to continue as Chairperson if given an extension?
No

Abhijit Sathe (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 18, 2014)

The CEO of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), who has been booked in a bribery case by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), had delayed certifying two Hindi films - Kick and Singham Returns - which led to their producers making several visits to the CBFC office in Mumbai to get censor certificates before their release dates, according to the CBI probe.

Kick was released in late July and Singham Returns on August 15. CBI sources said that Singham Returns director Rohit Shetty even visited CBFC CEO Rakesh Kumar's residence in Colaba to request him to clear his film as soon as possible. The movie was cleared after this visit. Similarly, Kick producer Sajid Nadiadwala also called on Kumar at the latter's office just before his film's release after Kumar expressed reservations about some scenes in the movie.

Kumar was booked on August 14 after a censor certification agent and a CBFC advisory panel member for allegedly seeking a Rs 70,000 bribe on his behalf to clear a film from Chhattisgarh, 'Mor Dauki ke Bihav', which was slated for an August 15 release.

CBI sources said that although Kick and Singham Returns are not part of their current case, they will investigate these developments to ascertain Kumar's conduct with regard to film producers and TV production houses.

As of now, the CBI is interrogating CBFC panel member Sarvesh Jaiswal and agent Shripati Mishra, who were arrested. Mishra allegedly demanded money from the Chhattisgarh film producer and said the money was to be paid to Kumar. The information on 'Kick' and 'Singham Returns' came from the interrogations of Jaiswal and Mishra, sources said.

Jaiswal, a Congress worker from north Mumbai, was recommended for the CBFC panel member's post by a former Congress MP. Although Jaiswal's bio-data says he is a graduate, he reportedly told the CBI that he was an SSC dropout.

Sources said that the long weekend, which included public holidays, had delayed searches of Kumar's bank lockers and the assessment of transactions involving close to half-a-dozen bank accounts belonging to him. The lockers will be opened on Tuesday, following which a decision will be taken on whether he should be arrested, sources said.

Shetty and Nadiadwala cound not be reached for comment. 'Singham Returns' and 'Kick' are doing well at the box office, with the former collecting Rs 50-crore-plus in India in its first two days and the latter collecting Rs 373 crore worldwide to date.

Meanwhile, the CBI has recorded the statements of at least four agents who, in CBFC circles, are known to have frequent contact with Kumar.

The CBI registered an FIR against Kumar, Mishra and Jaiswal based on a complaint given by a Chhatisgarh film producer. Members of the film fraternity had earlier expressed shock at the case. "It's an exceptional case and, I'm guessing, unprecedented," said filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt.

CBFC chairperson Leela Samson, who said she had received complaints about Kumar's conduct, said, "There were no complaints of bribery, but issues over delays. When I confronted him, he would listen to me, but the complaints didn't stop." The CBI in its searches at Kumar's house in Badhwar Park recovered Rs 10.3 lakh in cash. Sources said Kumar may be questioned soon. 
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Work at CBFC comes to a standstill

Bharati Dubey (MID-DAY; August 18, 2014)

The certification work at the CBFC has come to a standstill after an agent and a panel member were arrested by the CBI and a house search of CEO Rakesh Kumar was conducted recently. A member from the board says, “There are only 28 panel members in Mumbai and we have a backlog of 40 feature films and 64 video films. There is no clarity when will the boards working will go back to normalcy.’’

The Mumbai region has apparently been flooded with films from Tamil Nadu and Kolkata as well. The source adds, “We also have films awaiting recertification for television. Each screening requires at least four panel members and one officer. On an average about three to four screenings will have to take place everyday, which is not possible given our present strength.’’

It may be pointed out that many films like Finding Fanny, Daawat- E- Ishq, Desi Kattey, Raja Natwarlal, Mary Kom and Creature are slated to release within the next month. As per the regulation, films’ have to be certified at least 21 days before the release. It remains to be seen if the current situation will affect these films’ release.

Bharati Dubey (MID-DAY; August 16, 2014)

The industry is abuzz with reports that a top official from the Central Board of Film Certification ( CBFC) has come under the scanner for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 70,000 for clearing a regional film. Two people, one including agent Shripat Mishra and panel member Sarvesh Kumar have been arrested and a house search of CBFC CEO Rakesh Kumar has also been conducted, a CBI spokesperson has said.

Turns out that this incident has come as a shock to the film industry, which has had a love-hate relationship with the board. Producer Mukesh Bhatt says that he didn’t expect things to take such a turn. “I have heard about corruption when it comes to agents, but never heard of an official’s integrity being questioned. But yes, the industry can witness healthy growth only if the Censor Board is free from the I& B ministry’s political motives,” he says.

Hitlist spoke to some more industry people to get their take on all that’s ailing the Censor Board…

Fear-driven agendas Filmmaker
Prakash Jha says that while no state can ban a film if it has a Censor Board certificate, several states have done so out of fear of political parties or the moral police. “I think that the CBFC should be scrapped. I feel each filmmaker should have a self-certification card clearly stating the content of the film — violence or sex. Our society is mature enough to understand it,” he says.

Creative differences
Producers say that the board has introduced many rules that have hindered the creative process of a film. Objections to item songs, deleting scenes and words instead of blurring or beeping them out are some of the issues that filmmakers have raised time and again. Sudhir Mishra, who has had his share of run-ins with the Censor Board, says, “There is no need for five people to judge our films. Also, integrity of the committee members has to be impeccable and certifying a film is a specialised job. Whenever there is a film dealing with sensitive issues, it should be referred to the tribunal to resolve differences.”

Mishra adds that he keeps hearing how committees can be fixed and certification can be issued in favour of certain filmmakers. “I keep doubting why my films like Iss Raat Ki Subah Nahin and Hazaron Khwaishan Aisi ended up with an 'A' certificate while other films dealing with similar themes got 'U/A'.’’

Heavy backlog
A board member, under conditions of anonymity, says that with a new panel not yet in place, the CBFC is shortstaffed. “There is a heavy backlog — about 40 feature films and 100 video films are awaiting certification. There are only 40 people with us while there were about 150 members last term. Also, though the regional officer has discretionary powers to clear a film out of turn, a filmmaker should ideally submit his film 21 days before the release date,” says the member.

Loss of faith?
Vipul Shah feels that the certification process can lend itself to corruption. He says, “In such a scenario, the committee’s actions can be manipulated.” A former Censor Board official chimes in, “With incidents like this, people lose faith in the organisation and the people

“The industry can witness healthy growth only if the Censor Board is free from the I& B ministry’s political motives", summed up Mahesh Bhatt

When contacted, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said, “We will not tolerate corruption of any kind; we will take suitable action after the official report is submitted to us.’’ It remains to be seen as to how this will affect the industry and its future dealings with the Censor Board. -

Not film-friendly?
Some Censor Board directives that had Bollywood riled up
>> Mahesh Bhatt filed a PIL against the ban on smoking scenes in films.
>> Anurag Kashyap moved court against static messages in smoking and drinking scenes.
>> The makers of Ragini MMS 2 protested scenes being edited out instead of the Censor Board muting or blurring them.
>> Babli Badmaash (see Priyanka Chopra's pic at top) from Shootout at Wadala was initially given an 'A' certificate by the CBFC. It was revised later on by the board.
>> The Censor Board has ruled that 'A' certified films have to be recertified to 'U/A' for screenings on television.
>> Now films can apply for certification only after a clearance from the Animal Welfare Board of India; producers want a simpler procedure in place.

It's a shame - Leela Samson, Chairperson, CBFC
"I have heard the rumours for sometime. It is a shame. The I&B Ministry has weakened the CBFC in the months leading up to the elections and in the months it is taking for the new government to appoint a new team.

For almost a year, animosity ensued between the Board and the then Minister, Manish Tiwari, who showed scant respect for this institution.

This malaise started with the previous government when new board members were appointed without consulting or informing the chairperson. CEO Pankaja Thakur was threatened for doing her job. Unprecedented requests were made directly to the regional officers.

A new CEO should not have been appointed at this juncture. It is my belief that he was appointed to change the high sense of professionalism with which the organisation functioned. No communication has existed between the Ministry and me in these past months. The CBFC is an organisation in ruin.”

Abhijit Sathe & Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 15, 2014)

The Colaba home of CEO of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), Rakesh Kumar, was searched by the CBI on Thursday night after a censor certification agent and a CBFC advisory panel member for Mumbai were arrested for allegedly taking a Rs 70,000 bribe on his behalf.

The CBI, which has booked Kumar, was still questioning him at the time of going to press.

The bribe was allegedly to clear a regional language film from Chhattisgarh, Mor Dauki ke Bihav, which is scheduled for an August 15 release. The CBI has registered an FIR based on a complaint given by Praveen Mohare, an authorized censor certification agent. Apart from Kumar's residence, the Mumbai homes of Shripati Mishra, the agent, and Sarvesh Jaiswal, the panel member, were also searched.

The CBI laid a trap to arrest Mishra and Jaiswal, who will be produced in court today.

Members of the film fraternity expressed shock at the alleged bribery. "It's an exceptional case and I'm guessing, unprecedented. If this is true, it just goes on to say that it's not an isolated case," said filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt.

In the past, filmmaker Hansal Mehta had filed an RTI saying that the Censor Board was discriminating against his film Shahid by allotting it an Adult certificate, while some films got a more lenient treatment.

Added Bhatt, "It was called paranoia of a particular filmmaker, but this case of bribery, if proven, just indicates that there could be a dimension of truth in those allegations."

He added, "Somebody at the very helm of affairs being caught in such a scenario is unbelievable. They need to investigate and if proven, a person of impeccable integrity needs to be brought in as one has never heard such a case where the lure of money has tempted somebody from the Censor Board."

After the appointment of Rakesh Kumar, a former official of the Indian Railways, as the CEO of the Censor Board, he gave an interview to Mirror (January 16, 2014). He had said, "I seriously don't think Ranbir Kapoor should have shown his middle finger and bared his butt in Besharam. I also felt that given his reputation, Aamir Khan shouldn't have produced a cuss-loaded film like Delhi Belly."

The industry expressed outrage over his comments with some calling him a "regressive leader at the top".

The Indian Film Television Directors' Association (IFTDA) said that Kumar's comments appeared to be a "creative policing" exercise. It said that the Censor Board's job was to only review finished products of cinema and not to interfere with the creative process.

Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 31, 2014)

Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 22, 2014)

In an interview to Mirror (January 16), CEO of the Censor Board of Film Certification (CBFC), Rakesh Kumar expressed his displeasure over objectionable content being passed in films. "We want to nip this trend in the bud," he had asserted.

Recently, CBFC passed an order that instead of blurring out images deemed offensive, the scenes will have to be edited out. Another order passed says: Beeping of cuss words will be done away with, instead the scene will go mute in the portion where the expletive is used.

Confirming this, Rakesh Kumar told Mirror, "Blurring toh bilkul nahin chalega. And if there are gaalis, a 'U' certificate will only be given if the objectionable part is muted in its entirety. Cuss words become obvious if beeped out."

This order stems from the frontal nudity scene in Ashu Trikha's Vinod Khanna starrer Koyelaanchal and the lovemaking scene between Arshad Warsi and Huma Qureshi in Dedh Ishqiya. Said a source, "CBFC received a lot of flak for these two scenes."

Mirror has it that after the backlash, the censor have chopped several scenes, including a sequence of Jacqueline Fernandez' father getting a massage in Kick. The violence depicted against Shraddha Kapoor and Aamna Shariff in Ek Villain was also toned down, as also scenes of Randeep Hooda hitting Alia Bhatt in Imtiaz Ali's Highway. The CBFC is now taking steps to ensure that violence against women and children committing crimes is not highlighted.

More importantly, every single member of the CBFC will sit for screenings in rotation. Added the source, "Earlier, only select members were invited to screenings which lead to accusations of bias towards certain bigwigs. But now, every one of the 150 members will get his chance to vote." Added Rakesh, "We are trying our best to do a fair job."

Sonali Joshi Pitale (MID-DAY; March 28, 2014)

The trailer of Jayantilal Gada’s upcoming film, P Se PM Tak, has run into trouble. It turns out that the Censor Board of Film Certification (CBFC) objected to some offensive lines in the promo, and Gada had to give into their demands.

Says Gada, “My film is a political satire; it’s similar to the films Kundan Shah would make. The film revolves around a sex worker, played by Meenakshi Dixit, who becomes the Prime Minister for four days. Accordingly, the trailer featured some bold comments, but after watching the preview, the board asked us to cut out some dialogues.”

Gada then met Rakesh Kumar, the recently appointed CEO of the Censor Board. “We didn’t want to delete some of these lines as they convey the essence of the film. So we approached Mr Kumar who then allowed us to retain them. However, we chopped out the rest in keeping with the Censor Board’s instructions,” he says.

The filmmaker also agrees that he got their film’s timing wrong. “We had to face this issue because of the upcoming elections. Then again, we wanted to release our film next month. Our film has a political backdrop and it would have been the right time to release it. However, since our postproduction work is pending, we have pushed ahead the release date,” adds Gada.

Mehul S Thakkar (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 23, 2014)

Newly appointed Censor Board CEO, Rakesh Kumar, recently gave an interview to Mirror venting against the vulgarity and violence in recent Hindi films passed with a U or U/A certificate.

Now Hansal Mehta has taken up the rant alleging that his film Shahid, a biopic on slain human rights activist Shahid Azmi, got ‘unfair’ cuts and an A certificate, while films like Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-leela and Madras Cafe were treated with more lenience.

Hansal, who filed an RTI seeking information about the censorship process which led to the two films getting passed with a U/A certificate despite the sexual content and raw violence, is planning to make a habit of it.

Yes, the filmmaker has hit upon a novel plan to keep the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) on its toes. "I will watch every film from now on and if I feel that it contains any objectionable content I will promptly file an RTI application demanding information from the Censors," he says.

Pointing out that Shahid's business was jeopardised because of CBFC’s 'A' certificate, he says, "I have nothing against the other movies of the filmakers but I am upset about the discrimination against my film. They couldn’t mess with a Sanjay Leela Bhansali or a Viacom18 but they can mess with someone who is less powerful like me. My earlier films too were ruthlessly censored,” he groused.

“RTI is a very efficient mechanism. Earlier we did not have access to the government files but now we do. It only takes Rs 10 to file an RTI application. We live in a democracy, no one can stop me,” said the filmmaker.

Newly appointed Censor Board CEO Rakesh Kumar says he is here keep a check on the growing vulgarity and violence
Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 16, 2014)

CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification) has a new CEO, Rakesh Kumar, an ex-employee in Indian Railways. In an exclusive chat with Mirror at his Cuffe Parade residence on Tuesday night, he talks about his plans to scissor the objectionable content. Excerpts:
 
What's the first thing on your agenda? There is a huge backlog of films that needs to be cleared as we are short-staffed. I had a meet-ngreet with a set of leading filmmakers. I have to look into their request of allowing online submission of film trailers for approval. Also, Censor Chief, Leela Samson, has asked me to keep a check on the growing vulgarity and violence in films.
 
What's your take on today’s films? The seriousness in content is missing. Filmmakers are pushing the envelope a bit too far. They tell us, “Whatever we show is happening in our homes.” But what is happening in their homes is not necessarily happening across the country. So it cannot be the yardstick. I seriously don't think Ranbir Kapoor should have shown his middle finger and bared his butt in Besharam. I also felt that given his reputation, Aamir Khan shouldn't have produced a cuss-loaded film like Delhi Belly (pauses).
 
Go on... My wife and I walked out of Agneepath in the interval because it was just too gory. Gangs of Wasseypur had terrible language and Vishal Bhardwaj retained Arshad Warsi's sex scene in Dedh Ishqiya despite us ordering him to blur it out. It was only when we told him that we’d be forced to make a police complaint, did he edit it out. After watching Shuddh Desi Romance, my five-year-old daughter asked me, “Dad, isn’t there too much love in this movie?" More recently, I went to see Yaariyan with her and came out visibly embarrassed. Now, I have decided not to see even a U/A film with my kid.
 
How do you plan to change things? I called a meeting of my Regional Officers and have told them that I am not happy with the way certain things are going.
 
Are you in favour of removing ‘No Smoking’ disclaimer? No, Anurag Kashyap has to follow the law of the land. He has challenged it in court but he is unlikely to win the case.
 
How will you make adult content suitable for TV viewing? If you have content like Grand Masti, I wonder how much would remain after we clip.
 
But the film did well... Then pornography, which has a huge market in India, should be included in films to make them work better in the box-office.
 
Buzz is, CBFC has been lenient with influential filmmakers… On the contrary, we have been lenient with low-budget filmakers. I was an observer at the Revising Committee. Kill The Rapist was cleared with an A certificate. I questioned if it should be given a certificate at all.
 
What's your view on the New Cinematograph Act? It isn’t radically different from the previous one, except that U-12 and U-15 code will be included in the theatres. But I doubt the extent of its implementation.
 
Do you think that CBFC is walking on a tightrope with every film having plenty of objectionable content? The problem is that the objectionable content is getting passed. This is making the filmmakers more audacious. If we can nip this trend in the bud, the results will show up sooner or later. Else I will be out.
 
Have you met the former CEO Pankaja Thakur? Yes, I met her at her Wadala residence. It is a norm to meet your predecessor before taking charge.
 
Why wasn’t her stint not increased beyond three years? Office politics was one of the reasons. She had come from Customs and maybe will go back.