Recently, the Bombay High Court’s (HC) set an enquiry into Central Board of Film Certification’s (CBFC) for their unremitting stance in the matter of the Children’s Film Society of India’s backed film Chidiakhana. The censor board has awarded the film ‘U/A’ certification instead of a straight ‘U’ certificate. The HC stated that instances of minor aggression and violence depicted in the film, which the CBFC holds as unpardonably disturbing to children, are quite common in children’s lives today.
Supporting CFSI’s strongly worded challenge to the CBFC that the “inherent” violence shown in the film is an integral part of the movie and cannot be deleted, the HC has reinstated that the CBFC couldn’t decide on what children can watch or not, beyond the scope of the stated laws of the land.
Chidiakhana’s counsel Yashodeep R Deshmukh said, “Once you have seen Chidiakhana in its entirety, keeping in mind the theme, context and the treatment given, particularly to the scenes the CBFC has objected to, the only inference you will draw is that it’s a ‘U’ film.” He also states that while a 'U' certificate would endorse the film as suitable for all age groups, a 'U/A' certificate would attest that the parents of children below 12 years must use caution while permitting their children to watch this film. Hence, a ‘U/A’ certification would defeat the entire purpose of releasing the film.
Heaving a sigh of relief, filmmaker Manish Tiwary says, “I am so grateful to Justices SC Dharmadhikari and Gautam Patel, and my colleagues from the film industry for supporting my film. Chidiakhana mirrors the predicament faced by underdogs anywhere and everywhere in the world. The film’s protagonist Sooraj is a football-loving and -playing teenager who comes to Mumbai to pursue his one passion but instead finds himself swept into the maelstrom of regional conflicts that drags him away from his love for the game. The narrative focus is his game; the so-called violent scenes are necessary contextual embellishments that are done with taste, humour and with children in mind.”
Tiwary who made the feted Dil Dosti Etc added, “I had my own children in mind while writing and directing Chidiakhana. We have made a film that has an inspirational story of an underdog surviving the odds and winning something valuable for an entire community. But instead, of the film seeing the light of the day, we are caught running around in circles to get our certification sorted.”
