Figuring out the Indian censor board’s logic is a difficult task indeed, but sometimes, a little light shines through.
On Wednesday, dna reported that the Central Board of Film Certification had given a U/A certificate for Jungle Book because it is apparently quite scary on account of the 3D effects. He said: “The 3D effects are so scary that the animals seem to jump right at the audience. It's not just the story that determines certification. It's the overall presentation, the packaging and most important of all, the visual affects used to tell the story. In Jungle Book the jungle animals jumping at the audience in 3D is startling. It's up to parents to decide how much of these effects are suited for their children.”
Well, that’s understandable.
However, what’s bizarre is that the Censor Board seems to think its ok for children to be exposed to devious conniving involving murder, death, or killing. Three cases in point:
Drishyam (U-certificate):
This was a battle of wits involving a man who’s trying to protect his daughter and a top cop of the state. The police chief’s son took videos of a teenage girl while she was bathing, and attempted to use that to blackmail her. In a scuffle, he gets killed. What follows is an elaborate plan by the girl’s father to try and evade the police.
Great film, but should kids be exposed to teenage boys blackmailing teenage girls over nude videos? Not to mention hiding crime from the police, that too accidental death. Are children equipped to dealing with the nuances of law and justice?
Baaji Rao Mastaani (U-certificate)
Love, and lots of plotting and battles involved. Emphasis on plotting. But there are also questions of love, polygamy, courtesans (when Mastani is accommodated with the palace courtesans) etc. Is exposing children to ideas of polygamy ok?
Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (U-certificate)
More plotting and planned murder between brothers and half-brothers. But then, all is well that ends well. The bad guys die.
Moral of the story:
All these films do reflect our world, if not in specifics in abstractions. We do have blackmail, death, murder and plotting. The logic that just overtly scary-looking things need parental supervision is a little, well childish.