CBFC flouted norms to award U/A rating

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Amrit Sadhana [1]

The Censor Board for Film Certification (CBFC) is under fire again, as it is alleged to have flouted norms and given a U/A certificate to the film D-Day, based on mafia don Dawood Ibrahim. It is alleged that the Board declined the opinion of members of examining committee, and later on the revising committee in Mumbai that gave the film an A-certificate. It instead called up Board members from Delhi to award the U/A certificate to the film. This has irked the members of the Censor Board and they now plan to write to the information and broadcasting ministry.
One member of the committee said, “If the Board does not trust its own appointed members, who all were unanimous in giving it the A-certificate, then what is the point of keeping us on the Board?”
Ex-member of the Censor Board Brijmohan Sharma has slammed the board’s functioning and accused it of working at the behest of big producers. He said, “Ideally, when the examining committee and later on the revising committee declined to give the U/A certificate to the film, but the producer wanted a rethink, then the Board should have referred it to the tribunal; however, the Board was hell-bent on appeasing the producer and called another revising committee which was unconstitutional.”
According to a member of the revising committee who was at the screening, “The producer used influence and asked the Board to call another revising committee, consisting of members from Delhi; Board CEO Pankaja Thakur herself monitored the screening. As expected, the film was awarded the U/A certificate.” Ms Thakur, however, passed the buck to CBFC chairperson Leela Samson, who also could not be reached on phone and did not reply to emails.
Repeated attempts to contact Nikhil Advani, producer and director of D-Day were also futile as there was no response from him.