Kolkata: The regional centre of Central Board of
Film Certification (CBFC) has come up with a new method to certify films. Instead of intimating the producer about the decision of the examination committee, it is expecting him to guess the report and file an application for review. The director and producer of “The Geocentric Man” — a documentary on the self-proclaimed scientist who, since 1970s, has been plastering the walls of the city with the line “Sun revolves around the Earth once in 365 days” — will write to CBFC for clarity.
Calls to CBFC regional director Samrat Bandopadhyay went unanswered. K C Paul said: “I had once called Nasa a donkey. I’ll now call CBFC a donkey of a bigger size!” When CBFC examines a film, the norm is to send a show cause notice to the producer stating the recommendations.
The producer, then, accepts them or approaches the revising committee. Suman Ghosh’s documentary on Amartya Sen titled “The Argumentative Indian” was given nine cuts. The producer approached the review panel which suggested only one cut.
The director of “The Geocentric Man”, Saumya Sengupta, is in dark about the report. “I have not endorsed Paul’s views but documented his life. I also have a disclaimer. Unofficially, I heard the docu was rejected certification because it was ‘unscientific’. My producer was sent an online notification stating ‘pending for application for review of revising committee’. When we don’t know report, is CBFC expecting me to guess it and act accordingly?” he asked.
Last month, producer Amit Kumar Ganguly had received a notification saying: ‘The reason for refusal may please be elaborated and spelling of names in content may please be corrected. Resubmit only after the necessary correction are done’. “When we had asked the regional officer to explain the message, he asked us to meet on February 13. Today, he refused to entertain any queries saying he is busy... Since I haven’t been given any answer, I will write in to the CBFC chairperson now,” said Sengupta.
Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, and Mini Crossword.Priyanka Dasgupta is the features editor of TOI Kolkata. She has ...
Read MorePriyanka Dasgupta is the features editor of TOI Kolkata. She has over 20 years of experience in covering entertainment, art and culture. She describes herself as sensitive yet hard-hitting, objective yet passionate. Her hobbies include watching cinema, listening to music, travelling, archiving and gardening.
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