Is censorship of movies an outdated concept?

Yes :-

• People have the mental ability to decide what to watch and what not to watch. Government has no right to decide what people are allowed to watch.
• There is no censorship to content on Television and Internet. Hence there is no point in censoring just movies.
• Censorship causes imposition of majoritarian ideals on others.
• It violates Freedom of speech and expression, which is guaranteed to Indians under Article 19(1) of Indian Constitution.
• Censorship do not allow creativity to thrive. Movies that are based on new concepts will face problems.
• Censor board members may not reflect the thoughts of entire society. How can a few persons decide what society treats as acceptable?
• Through censorship, money power will rule society. It’s a fact that rich people influence politics.
• Filmmakers spend lot of money and time to make movies. If parts of the movie is cut in the name of censorship, they will be discouraged to make more movies.

No :-

• If there is no censorship, there are dangers that movies that hurt sentiments of certain sections will be out in public. This can lead to violence and threatens public order.
• As a society, we have a responsibility to protect children from being exposed to dangerous content.
• Censorship is needed to stop misleading people for political gains.
• ‘Bad influence‘ that can impact youth should be curtailed.
• Censor Board work on the principle of Article 19(2) of Indian constitution which mentions that freedom of expression should not threaten sovereignty and integrity of Nation.

Basics :-

• ‘Central Board of Film Certification’ (CBFC) was formed in 1951. It follows the rules of Cinematograph Act, 1952.
• CBFC certifies and differentiates movies as ‘U (Unrestricted Public Exhibition)’, ‘U/A (Parental Guidance for children below the age of 12 years)’, A (Restricted to adults), S (Restricted to any special class of persons).
• In 1969, GD Khosla committee recommended that freedom of expression should not be curtailed.
• Cinematograph rules were revised in 1983.
• Mukul Mudgal Committee, 2013 & Shyam Benegal committee, 2016 recommended reforms in CBFC. But the recommendation weren’t implemented yet.

Conclusion :-

With the increasing usage of Televisions and internet, censoring movies will not be of much use. However still movies are the major source of entertainment in India, hence filmmakers have responsibility to not to create scenes that are derogatory to any section of society.

Afterwords :- Do you think censorship is an outdated concept? Express your thoughts in the comment section below.

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