Time for Tolerance

FREEZE FRAME

Moral police brigades are muzzling free speech.

For some strange reason, every member of an audience not only has an opinion on every film or TV show but also of how each one could be better.

If this were limited to a mere critical appraisal, it would be fine. But there is a growing tendency for individuals and groups to take sharp positions on specific films and programmes.

Frivolous litigation often entraps filmmakers for no fault of theirs. Someone, somewhere believes that a film ""even if it is billed as a work of fiction "" hurts his or her sentiment, belief or ideology. First there are protests on misrepresentation of facts. Then begins a trial by media followed by hooliganism and sometimes a ban on the film.

In the last few months, we have seen agitations against films like Jo Bole So Nihal, Bose, Kaal, Hazaron Khwaishen Aisi, and Mangal Pandey from disparate groups, despite them being duly certified by a legally constituted Central Board of Film Certification. It is, indeed, disheartening that there is little difference between the so-called liberals and hardliners when it comes to acting censorial.

Despite tall claims of being a tolerant and open society, Indians are fairly bigoted and narrow-minded. The mere mention of a caste, religion, legend, historical fact or figure is sufficient to draw somebody's ire.

Any attempt to make a biographical, historical or political film is always fraught with the danger of having an extra-constitutional ban being imposed on it. In any case, biographical films don't work too well in India. That is one of the reasons it was left to Richard Attenborough to make Gandhi.

The provocation for this column, no doubt, comes from the court case filed against The Rising. Its cinematic or even its box-office merit can be debated, but to trump up bizarre charges of calumny against the film is plain stupidity. The filmmakers have never claimed it to be an authentic depiction of history.

Another provocation for this piece is the government's unilateral announcement to ban smoking on screen. While no one has ever supported smoking, a blanket ban is not the answer.

In the past animal rights groups, religious organisations, and NGOs have asked for films to be taken off screens. This tendency has to stop. There may be a few irresponsible filmmakers, but by and large the film fraternity is quite aware of its social and moral responsibilities.

Following a meeting with the minister for information & broadcasting, the Film & TV Producers' Guild of India has set up a committee of 40 eminent film and TV professionals from whom smaller panels will be made up to look into specific issues of public concern or potential controversy. The government and other social organisations too must respond positively rather than talk of only bans.

The author is chairman of Reliance Entertainment. The views expressed here are personal