New Delhi, May 29: The Central Board of Film Certification is back in news again. This time the CBFC (often referred to as the Censor Board) is hogging the limelight for asking the makers of a documentary on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to first get a "No Objection Certificate" from Prime Minister Narendra Modi before its final approval.
The documentary--An Insignificant Man--has been directed by Khushboo Ranka and Vinay Shukla, and produced by Anand Gandhi of Ship of Theseus fame.
The film traces the journey of Kejriwal from a member of the India Against Corruption movement to the leader of the Aam Aadmi Party. The documentary has got large-scale appreciation from critics and has been screened in various film festivals across the globe. In spite of travelling across the world, now because of the Censor Board's "bizarre" demand, the film faces uncertainty over its release in India. The board's controversial chief, Pahlaj Nihalani, insisted that the makers of the documentary get an NOC as the film shows footage from PM Modi's rallies (something that has already been broadcast on TV channels). The Board also wanted the filmmakers to delete references to the BJP and the Congress from the film. The board said that the film would be cleared only if the makers abide by its diktat. "Is Nihalani expecting the Prime Minister to do the Censor chief's job now? If any of the concerned parties, including Modi, Kejriwal or Sheila Dixit have a problem, they can challenge us in court. Why is the Censor Board acting as a watchdog for politicians and as the gatekeeper for the establishment? Its job is to certify films, not guard politicians," Ranka told Mumbai Mirror. Nihalani justified his decision saying that Karan Johar got a NoC from Raveena Tandon name in a film when he used her name in a film and so did the makers of Jolly LLB 2 for a reference to Salman Khan. "In this case, as they have referred to Modi, Kejriwal and Sheila Dixit, among others, they should get NoCs from them," he said. In a Facebook post, Gandhi said, "The arbitrary board of India wants us to get a certificate from politicians to approve of their critique. Politicians, in their public roles, are open to reportage and journalistic scrutiny. Reporters, journalists, and documentarians don't need their permission for documenting them in their interactions with the people they intend to represent! Along with that, there is also a demand to mute the names Congress and BJP--from a journalistic piece of work!" OneIndia News
According to reports, the documentary has been rejected by both, the Examining Committee as well as the Revising Committee.