Shyam Benegal committee submits recommendations on film certification

A committee chaired by eminent filmmaker Shyam Benegal has submitted its recommendations to the government.

Background:

• The committee had been set up by the Ministry on January 1 this year to lay down norms for film certification that took note of best practices in various parts of the world and gave sufficient and adequate space for artistic and creative expression.
• The committee was also asked to lay down procedures and guidelines for the benefit of the CBFC to follow and examine staffing patterns with a view to recommending a framework that would provide efficient and transparent user friendly services.

Important recommendations made by the committee:

• The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) should only be a film certification body whose scope should be restricted to categorizing the suitability of the film to audience groups on the basis of age and maturity.
• The CBFC should refuse certification only when a film contains anything that contravenes the provisions of Section 5B (1) of the Cinematograph Act, 1952 or when its content crosses the ceiling laid down in the highest category of certification.
• The categorisation of films should be more specific and apart from U category, the UA Category can be broken up into further sub-categories - UA12+ and UA15+. The A category should also be sub-divided into A and AC (Adult with Caution) categories.
• The recommendations broadly cover the areas related to Film Certification Process and its simplification, Restructuring staffing pattern of Central & Regional censor advisory panels and Recertification of films for purposes of telecast on television and measures to preserve the identity of Indian Cinema.