Back in the 90s, with Bollywood still very much conservative, Karisma Kapoor came under fire for gyrating on screen for a film to the tunes of Sexy Sexy Mujhe Log Bole. And if you thought we’ve since grown up and moved on, you’re
obviously wrong. The Censor Board, for one, thinks words like “sex” and “bum” are meant only for an adult audience. And Karan Johar found this out the hard way, when his upcoming Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu received a U/A rating because of the usage of these words.
Shakun Batra, the debutant director of EMAET, speaks about the makers’ frustration. “Given a choice, I wouldn’t have beeped out the word ‘sex’ from the promos. Honestly, I don’t understand the logic behind the decision, but I’m told that’s the pattern every filmmaker has to follow,” Shakun says.
Rohit Dhawan, director of the recently released Desi Boyz would know. His film too was censured for having some “objectionable” words. “Words like ‘bum’ and ‘sex’ aren’t offensive at all. These restrictions are making it very difficult for us to write scripts the way we want to. There is no freedom of speech, and it’s very unfortunate that films are getting attacked like this,” Dhawan says.
He points out that these are topics that most teenagers and GenY discuss with their friends, and many youngsters are in agreement. “Why only with friends? Even sitting across the dinner table, we use words like ‘bum’,” says Nilesh Acharya, a 16-year-old college student. “When we have no problems using these words in front of our parents, I don’t see why we can’t see the same in films. If the Censor Board doesn’t realise these realities, maybe they should get someone our age to decide things for us.”
Actress Zoa Morani, who’s just turned 19, is in agreement. “If a film is catering to the urban youth today, the bold element is required. It’s about time we accept the truth. Beeping out words in the promos and teasers mar the flavour of the film, and we can’t be hypocritical about it. If you’re speaking a certain language, to ban the same language in a film is double standards,” Zoa says.