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With the Indian media and entertainment sector constantly facing backlash from multiple groups, a panel discussion, held on Wednesday here during the Ficci Frames 2013, called for forming a pressure group from within the artistic fraternity, to take its collective voice to Parliament.
The 14th edition of Ficci Frames, the annual conclave of the sector, opened here yesterday.
The panel, moderated by Shoma Choudhary, managing editor of Tehelka magazine, saw the presence of prominent figures such as Kamal Haasan, recently in the middle of a controversy for his film Vishwaroopam, director and producer Mahesh Bhatt, actor Rahul Bose and Lok Sabha member Jay Panda.
Commenting on the curbing of freedom in day-to-day life, Hassan, also chairman of the Ficci Media and Entertainment Business Conclave, said: "I believe curbing the freedom of expression or speech is not a dignified thing. I believe the only way to stay young is to be immature, so even as a a father, I wouldn't try to curb my daughter's freedom. Even as the captain of the ship for my movies, I do not believe in curbing my actors' freedom of opinion or coercing them to change their opinions."
Added Panda: "It's sad that a Supreme Court ruling allowing the Censor Board to be the authority on certifying movies is defied by various state high courts.''
Reacting to Panda's comments, Bhatt said: "Having a discussion on freedom itself is a sign that we are not free. I have lived with the idea of freedom for 40 years. Today, every film-maker lives in fear of mobs outside. We are film-makers, not underground revolutionaries, who make movies and are not armed to deal with mobs. Also, there is no sense of community among artists. Forty years back and even today, we still do not stand together as a group."
Referring to the industry's stand on the issue, Bose said: "There is a grey area in the definition of freedom of expression in the Constitution. We need to safeguard the definition of this and the exceptions to this law should be used only in the rarest of rare cases. Art has the power to make people think, influence people. It could lead to protest, but will get people to think."
The panel was in accordance that it was every person's right to showcase their art, be it a film-maker as big and reputed as Haasan or someone like a Kamal Khan. The fraternity needs to give up the 'I told you so' stance and stand up for the artists.
The panel discussed how cinema in India has become regressive and is not provocative enough. They also questioned if the industry cares for freedom enough, with film-makers surrendering to the mob.
The panel has concluded they need to create a pressure group from within the domain of artistic fraternity, which will articulate the need to change the rules. This pressure group will lead the change and require political representatives to take the collective voices to Parliament.
More than censorship, personal discipline should drive the content which is affected by cultural sensibilities that are represented by the commercial success of the art.
