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[therunnelofdreams]

From The Cinematograph Act of 1918 to the present Central Bureau of Film Certification: The only visible mouthpiece of a moralistic society.

In 1895, for the first time a film was publicly screened. A nitrate fire at the Bazar de la Charité, Paris in 1897 killed 126, one caused due to the violently flammable nitrate films. Fast forward to 1909, after several similar cases of fires caused due to the films, world’s first Cinematograph legislation was passed in Britain. It was hoped that the legislation would ensure safety by curbing the issue of cinema licensing (without any expectations). Licenses were made mandatory for public screenings. Eventually, the authorities began to control not only the conditions in which the films would be screened but also the content of the screenings. The first full-length Indian feature, D.G. Phalke’s Raja Harishchandra, released in 1913. The Cinematograph Act was born in 1918 and with it film censorship in India. The 1918 Act gave the district magistrate or the commissioner of police the power to issue licences to exhibitors, and the government to appoint inspectors to examine and certify films as “suitable for public exhibition”. It wasn’t until 1920 that multiple Censor Boards were set up and rules were put into place to judge the appropriateness of films, both local and foreign, for release. “No generally and rigidly applicable rules of censorship can be laid down.” were the positive words that the general principles of the Bombay Board of Film Censors began with and then proceeded to lay out 43 objectionable subjects. Most of these objectionable subjects comprised of politically incorrect depictions from the perspective of the British authorities. The Indian cinematograph committee (ICC) of 1927-28, chaired by a former Madras high court judge, T. Rangachariar, was the first comprehensive inquiry into movie viewing, censoring and exhibiting habits in the country, and an acknowledgment by the British of cinema’s increasing popularity in India. It made several pragmatic suggestions regarding censorship and the Indian cinema but in vain like most of the painstakingly written reports that have followed since. Despite the earlier mentioned long list of objectionable subjects, Indian cinema wasn’t exactly prurient in the 1920s and 1930s. Hamarun Hindustan (1930) had an intimate scene with Sulochana and Jal Merchant. Film-maker J.B.H. Wadia recalled, years after the fact, Lalita Pawar kissing her co-star “without inhibition” in a film, and Jal Merchant and Zubeida “kissing each other quite often” in 1932’s Zarina (depending on which account you read, Zarina had a total of 34, 48 or 82 kisses). Actors kiss in the Franz Osten-directed Shiraz (1928) and A Throw Of Dice (1929). And there’s the famous kiss in Karma (1933), which has gone down in legend as being 4 minutes long, though it lasts only a minute and involves a snake and a tearful Devika Rani trying to bring a comatose Himanshu Rai to life. (July 14 2018, Livemint) Suresh Chabria writes in Light Of Asia: Indian Silent Cinema, 1912-1934, “Even mentioning British excesses, the Indian National Congress, self-governance, or even revolution in other countries was enough to earn your film a cut or a ban.” “It’s a strange phenomenon which we find in this country to see the Government-sponsored Indian News Parade claiming to give all the news to the Indian people while the Censors black-out the Nation’s beloved leaders who make the most news,” cine-journal Filmindia complained in 1945, noting that even framed photographs of national leaders were cut from films. Through the Film Inquiry Committee report submitted to the government in 1951, we get a picture of what censorship was like in the years leading up to, and just after, independence. Things were, to put it mildly, chaotic. The five censor boards examined films separately, and each had their own set of rules and local pressures. Often, a title passed by one would be rejected by another. In addition, the government—of India, or of a particular state—might deny a certificate to a film passed by the censors, a fate which could befall a noir or a war film as easily as it could a propaganda newsreel. In the same decade, it was made evident that film censorship in free India would depend not only on official sanction but on societal approval. It was then that the kiss disappeared from Indian cinema—a curtailment so long and stifling that it hasn’t fully returned yet. In film critic and historian B.D. Garga’s words, “Kissing disappeared from the Indian screen not because of a fiat of the censor but because of pressures brought on by social and religious groups.” Over the next few years, a Central Board of Film Censors (CBFC, renamed as Central Board of Film Certification in 1983) was set up, regional boards were abolished, and U and A were adopted as certification categories. “The Act of 1918 was repealed, but it was later replaced with a law not dissimilar in scope,” Arpan Banerjee notes in his essay Political Censorship And Indian Cinematographic Laws: A Functionalist-liberal Analysis. This was the Cinematograph Act of 1952, the cornerstone—and, in many ways, the millstone—of film censorship in India. The 1952 Cinematograph Act sets out the structure of censorship as it stands today: the chairperson at the top, then the board members, then the advisory panels (members of the initial examining committee and the revising committee, which do much of the actual examination of films, are drawn from these). Everyone, from the chairperson down to the advisory panel members, is a government appointee. And every government at the Centre has taken advantage of this, staffing the CBFC with party loyalists eager to make cuts and deny certificates to films critical of the establishment. The Emergency saw the most blatant use of this power, with Gulzar’s Aandhi (1975) and Amrit Nahata’s Kissa Kursi Ka (1977) banned, and Shyam Benegal’s Nishant (1975) stuck in a bureaucratic tangle, because they were perceived as critical of the Congress government. (July 14 2018, Livemint) What makes the Cinematograph Act such a problematic piece of legislation is the Section 5B of the Act, which states that any film that is against the “interests of [the sovereignty and integrity of India] the security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or morality, or involves defamation or contempt of court or is likely to incite the commission of any offence” can be denied a certificate. Censors are tasked with ensuring that films provide “clean and healthy entertainment”; do not “deprave the morality of the audience”, endanger public order or “depict the modus operandi of criminals”, and so on. All these rules are not only vague but also convenient since no film can be released without a certificate from the CBFC, a government appointed body. In 1968, Abbas—already well-known as the screenwriter of Awara and Shree 420—made a 16-minute documentary, Char Shahar Ek Kahani, which had scenes showing prostitution in Mumbai. The CBFC’s examining committee handed the film an “A” certificate; after Abbas protested, the revising committee reached the same conclusion. After a fruitless appeal to the Central government, Abbas petitioned the Supreme Court, arguing that pre-censorship was antithetical to freedom of speech and expression. The court ruled against Abbas. “The censorship imposed on the making and exhibition of films is in the interests of society,” said the judgement, though it also asked Parliament and the government to do more to separate the objectionable from the socially valuable. Though Abbas’ suit was probably doomed from the start, it did have one useful fallout: the formation, in 1981, of the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT), a quasi-judicial body headed by a retired high court judge, which one could approach if unhappy with the decision of the CBFC’s examining and revising committees. (July 14 2018, Livemint) There have only been some minor developments in the years since—films must now carry no-smoking advisories, and (thankfully) it’s almost impossible to shoot a scene with a live animal. In addition to the ever-arbitrary demands of the board—a blurred brassiere here, a bleeped “virgin” there—censorship by mob has emerged as a disturbing issue. Starting with Bal Thackeray demanding his own cuts in Mani Ratnam’s Bombay in 1995, the Shiv Sena’s protests against Deepa Mehta’s Fire in 1998, religious organizations and fanatics demanding cuts in movies like Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and Padmaavat in the present times to delaying releases if the demands aren’t met, censorship by mob has been normalised. Though everyone in the industry is affected by it, they refuse to unite and speak against it. “Bollywood does not care,” director Dibakar Banerjee says, “because it knows it will somehow navigate through the bureaucratic red tape to survive. It’s a vestige of the licence raj.” In an interview to The Hindu in January 2002, Vijay Anand, director of Guide and Jewel Thief and the CBFC chief at the time, was asked whether the media was right to pick on the board’s decisions. “Why not?”, he replied “We are the visible mouthpiece of a moralistic society.” This is an uncomfortably honest self-assessment, but there’s some truth to the idea that the board isn’t entirely to blame. Film censorship in India can only be fixed if the rules governing it are overhauled and if there’s a change in attitude that has persisted since the days of the British: the tendency to treat the viewer as incapable. Movie-watchers should finally be allowed to decide for themselves whether a particular film will offend their sensibilities or not.

[therunnelofdreams]

He called them his beloved And beloved they were. So on his death, He bequeathed them with all his sorrow and pain. - T.R.O.D . . . . #writer #writersofinstagram #thoughtsofawriter #wordsofapoet #quote #poet #poem #poetry #poetsofinstagram #nature #skyporn #beautiful #life #error #concretejungle #lights #night #shotons7edge

[therunnelofdreams]

Try - Part (2/2) At the same time, my metabolism being as high as it is, it is extremely unlikely for me to get chubby or fat or to even gain weight for that matter. So when I'm not skinny because of my eating disorder, I'm terribly petite/thin due to my metabolism. Even when I've been really healthy and strong, I've continued to remain thin. So the next time you see me and feel like cracking jokes about how skinny I am, judging me for not eating or eating a lot(which I do when I'm happy and trying to gain), asking if I get food at home, complimenting me on my skinny body or making yourself feel shitty about yours; don't! What I have isn't ideal but that doesn't change the fact that it's something I can't control. All you should worry about is having a healthy body no matter what shape or size and you'll be just fine. Don't judge people. You never know their daily struggles, big or small. Live and love. - A.M . #throwback #blackandwhite #ootd #wannabemodel #mentalhealth #eatingdisorder #human #writersofinstagram #writer #quote #quotesofinstagram #poet #poetry #poem #talk #help #awareness #important #health #life #support #bodypositivty

[therunnelofdreams]

I've titled the last and the next post as "Try" because there's this song with the same name by Colbie Caillat. It has the most beautiful lyrics ever. . Check out the next post to see why I chose this song. The lyrics are below. . Try - Colbie Caillat - Lyrics Put your make-up on Get your nails done Curl your hair Run the extra mile Keep it slim so they like you, do they like you? Get your sexy on Don't be shy, girl Take it off This is what you want, to belong, so they like you Do you like you? You don't have to try so hard You don't have to, give it all away You just have to get up, get up, get up, get up You don't have to change a single thing You don't have to try, try, try, try You don't have to try, try, try, try You don't have to try, try, try, try You don't have to try You don't have to try Get your shopping on, at the mall, max your credit cards You don't have to choose, buy it all, so they like you Do they like you? Wait a second, Why, should you care, what they think of you When you're all alone, by yourself, do you like you? Do you like you? You don't have to try so hard You don't have to, give it Take your make-up off Let your hair down Take a breath Look into the mirror, at yourself Don't you like you? 'Cause I like you . #writer #writersofinstagram #thoughtsofawriter #wordsofapoet #quote #poet #poem #poetry #poetsofinstagram #nature #skyporn #beautiful #life #error #concretejungle #lights #night #shotons7edge #mentalhealth #bodyimage #positivebodyimage #help #health

[therunnelofdreams]

Try - Part (1/2) It took me 3 years to gain 3 kgs and another 6 months to gain 2 more. However, this February my eating disorder struck me hard making me lose 7kgs within 5 days. Ever since I was a kid, refusing to eat was the only way I could rebel without much harm. Eventually, it became a habit that I wouldn't be able to eat if I was even slightly upset over something trivial. At one point of time it got so bad that I didn't eat for 3 days straight while travelling and working 12 hours a day. That led me to the hospital and I was stuck there for days. The whole point being that since Feb, I've been weighing  myself every other day in order to get some motivation. And I'm still struggling to make up for the 7kgs I had lost. I was about to hit 52kgs back in Feb but I've not even been able to go beyond 48kgs now no matter how hard I try. - A.M P.S - Continued in the next post. . #throwback #blackandwhite #ootd #goodday #poser #wannabemodel #modeling#mentalhealth #eatingdisorder #human #kindness #taboo #writersofinstagram #writer #quote #quotesofinstagram #poet #poetry #poem #talk #help #awareness #allies #important #survival #health #life #try #speakup #support

[therunnelofdreams]

We are torn between nostalgia for the familiar and an urge for the foreign and strange. As often as not, we are homesick most for the places we have never known. - Carson McCullers . . . . . #writer #writersofinstagram #writing #poet #poem #poetsofinstagram #poetry #quote #nofilter #instadaily #colours #shades #happy #life #words #nature #photography #summers #sunset #sky #skyporn #skyline #shotons7edge (at Lodha Luxuria)

[therunnelofdreams]

Let them leave, you deserve someone who wants to stay. . . . . #writer #writersofinstagram #writing #poet #poem #poetsofinstagram #poetry #quote #nofilter #instadaily #colours #shades #happy #life #words #nature #photography #longdrive #sky #skyporn #skyline #shotons7edge

[therunnelofdreams]

I find myself failing over and over again trying to explain how I feel. I see myself losing in this game for two everytime I play. So how do you know the next one's gonna be any better? I might as well come second now and celebrate. - A.M . . . . . #writer #writersofinstagram #writing #poet #poem #poetsofinstagram #poetry #quote #instadaily #love #important #difficult #lifelesson #life #words #happy #relationships #humans #feelings #mistakes

[therunnelofdreams]

Sometimes giving up is good. . . . . #writer #writersofinstagram #writing #poet #poem #poetsofinstagram #poetry #quote #instadaily #love #important #difficult #lifelesson #life #words #happy #relationships #humans #feelings #mistakes

[therunnelofdreams]

Mental health always speaks to me. Somehow, I feel it is so blown out of proportion and subjective that at the end of the day, some people just don't get it. However, It doesn't take a lot to understand that empathy and compassion while communicating to people who suffer with mental illnesses is of utmost importance. You never know how to speak to them, there aren't any dos or donts as such. Mental illnesses are not always the same other than certain symptoms. So just use your brains and be empathetic, be observant, be kind. If you know somebody who might need help but hasn't been able to identify it for themselves then help them do that. Ask them if they're okay, if they feel different, if they wish to speak to a professional, if there's anything else you could do. These basic questions can help the person in the long run. And to be able to do all this; keep your hearts open, eyes can't always see somebody else's suffering. - A.M . . . . . #mentalhealth #depression #bipolar #schizophrenia #anxiety #humans #humanity #kindness #taboo #souls #beautiful #writersofinstagram #writer #quote #quotesofinstagram #poet #poetry #poem #talk #help #awareness #allies #important #survival #health #life #try #speakup #support

[therunnelofdreams]

Joint family, eleven kids, zero attention. It's safe to say me being one of the eleven kids, I never really got the attention one needs as a child. So the world literally became my playground, I would do anything and I mean anything to get the attention. It was almost always negative behaviour because that would gain the attention more quickly. For a kid attention equals love. So, I grew up feeling unloved and eventually unwanted. The only love I know anymore is to make my partner the centre of my universe, to shower them with attention and affection. I thinks that's how it is for everyone, we become the love we never received. We assume that, that's the kind of love that would make us happy so it should work for our partner too. Instead why can't we just ask what makes our partner happy and do that? I mean how difficult is that? Be more considerate and try to see things from their point of view. Don't make the mistakes someone else did with you. - A.M . . . . . #writer #writersofinstagram #writing #poet #poem #poetsofinstagram #poetry #quote #instadaily #love #important #difficult #lifelesson #life #words #happy #relationships #humans #feelings #mistakes #family #child

[therunnelofdreams]

Dremas that chase away the mirrors of reality kill the dreamers soon. - T.R.O.D Live in the moment. Planning for your future is great, preparing for it is good but giving up your present in order to do it all will only lead you to ruins. Use all your energy to focus on the present and enjoy the moment you're living. If you do these two things right everything else will fall into place on its own. . . . . . #writer #writersofinstagram #writing #poet #poem #poetsofinstagram #poetry #quote #instadaily #love #important #difficult #lifelesson #life #words #dreams #future #present #happy #relationships #believe #leapoffaith #carpediem

[therunnelofdreams]

I've broken down a million times trying to mold myself into a better person only to give up in the end. Just because it's easy doesn't mean it's the right thing to do. Every time I have a break down, I make resolutions for myself like every one does on new year's eve. The next day isn't so bad to keep up with, its the days that follow. Eventually, it all feels like too much work to do better in life. So this time when I've been able to stick to at least half of the deal, it's an overwhelming feeling. Being able to see yourself grow is liberating. So don't give up, believe in yourself, believe in others. Take that leap. - T.R.O.D Also, @kavya_menon94 thank you!🌸 . . . . . #writer #writersofinstagram #writing #poet #poem #poetsofinstagram #poetry #quote #instadaily #love #important #difficult #lifelesson #life #words #selflove #happy #relationships #humans #feelings #believe #breakdown #leapoffaith

[therunnelofdreams]

It was two years ago that I came across this article. Real life experiences or anecdotes of having different mental illness were mentioned. It was just a way of spreading awareness so that people would know how it feels to be in their shoes. But this one incident tugged at my heart in ways I couldn't even imagine. I don't suffer from schizophrenia neither do I know anybody who does. However, the way this person's reality hit me made me realise how different a life they must be leading than the rest of us. Please be more considerate when dealing with people, be empathetic and understanding. You can't always help them but please do not make their lives any harder than it already is. - A.M . . . . . #mentalhealth #depression #bipolar #schizophrenia #anxiety #humans #humanity #kindness #taboo #souls #beautiful #writersofinstagram #writer #quote #quotesofinstagram #poet #poetry #poem #talk #help #awareness #allies #important #survival #health #life #try #speakup #support

[therunnelofdreams]

The last sentence says it all. Love people because you know how terrible it feels not to be loved at all. Be compassionate, being too nice can be bad for you at times I know. Nothing in excess can be good but that doesn't mean being shitty to people is gonna make things any better for you. Try not to do any harm to people if you can't do anything good for them either. Be yourself, that's the best anyone can be. Stay strong. - A.M . . . . #writer #writersofinstagram #writing #poet #poem #poetsofinstagram #poetry #quote #instadaily #love #important #difficult #lifelesson #life #words #selflove #happy #relationships #humans #feelings #pain #help #nice

[therunnelofdreams]

Still learning. Still trying. . . . . . #writer #writersofinstagram #writing #poet #poem #poetsofinstagram #poetry #quote #instadaily #love #important #difficult #lifelesson #independent #life #words #body #relationship #lost #human #feelings #heart #happy

[therunnelofdreams]

I lose myself in my thoughts trying figure out what I think. Always am at a loss of words cause even the words don't know how to portray what I feel. One moment something will make me happy and the next moment I'll be running away from it. It's like I'm in Hogwarts and the stairs just won't stop moving. But I reach my destination regardless because my heart continues to beat. Every beat is a sound pulling me in a certain direction, it might not always be the right route but it always does take me somewhere I'm happy. - A.M . . . . . #writer #writersofinstagram #writing #poet #poem #poetsofinstagram #poetry #quote #instadaily #love #maps #harrypotter #hogwarts #potterhead #lights #life #words #body #relationship #lost #human #feelings #emotion #heart #happy