Just when it appeared that film censors in India were becoming more progressive, those wise people in charge of our morality have struck again. By demanding that explicit scenes from the film The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo be cut, the censors have effectively ensured the film will not be shown in India, since the producers are not willing to do so. That this will only enhance interest in the movie and fans will find a way to get around this latest “ban” is another matter; officially, it won’t be coming to a theatre near you.
Films like Delhi Belly and Love, Sex and Dhoka pushed the envelope and censors showed a sensible approach in allowing their screening with minimal cuts. Today’s cinema reflects today’s social reality; and it’s good to see the censor board taking a liberal attitude. Many tasteless and cheap masala films slip under the censors’ radar, but that’s the price an open society must pay. In the case of Western films in general and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo in particular, as long as their so-called bold scenes are not gratuitous and are part of the story, there’s no reason to disallow them. As it is there is too much needless interference going on from not only official censors, but also busybodies who demand scenes be cut because they have offended someone or the other. Both the censors and producers must work out a compromise so that this much-awaited film can be enjoyed by Indian viewers.