Imtiaz Ali, who is best known for portraying realistic content in his films, believes it’s an ever-going tussle between filmmakers and Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) till the time there is censorship.
“Till the time there is censorship, filmmakers are going to struggle and quarrel,” Ali said in an interview in New Delhi on Thursday.
The 46-year-old from Jamshedpur, who later spent his formative years in Delhi, is highly regarded for his visionary as a director. His movies, Jab We Met (2007), Love Aaj Kal (2009), Rockstar (2011), Highway (2014) and Tamasha (2015), earned critical acclaim nationwide.
Since the day Pahlaj Nihalani took the reins of CBFC, the censor board has been seen stuck with controversies. Recently an array of instances came in view, where filmmakers were seen battling with him on censorship.
Nihalani denied a certificate to ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’, calling it a “lady-oriented” film. He also suggested as many as 48 cuts in Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s upcoming film ‘Babumoshai Bandookbaaz’, objecting to certain scenes and cuss words used in it.
Talking about the ongoing tussle with the CBFC, Ali also recounted the responsibility of a filmmaker. “Having said that, we should not forget there are nations lesser liberal than India, like Iran, where censorship is at peak but good movies are still being made. As a filmmaker, we should always try to focus on quality work and should think how obscenity is relevant for the idea we want to showcase in the film.”
“Also, we can’t assume that it’s solely the filmmakers, who would decide what kids should watch while growing up. We can just struggle and quarrel, which we will,” Ali added.
Ali was promoting the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer ‘Jab Harry Met Sejal’, which is slated to release on Friday.