Need to adopt US system of censorship: Shabana Azmi

Mumbai: Actress-social activist Shabana Azmi, who has slammed the Central Board of Film Certification's decision to refrain from profanity in films, has appealed to give up the British system of censorship and adopt the American one, whereby the filmmakers are liberal about their own films and censorship.

CBFC chairperson Pankaj Nihalani has issued a controversial diktat blacklisting 'offensive' words from Indian films. The decision has left many Bollywood celebrities in shock and disagreement and Shabana is one of them.

She feels "Censor Board's business is to certify and not censor according to appropriate ages".

"I think it is very important that we discard the British system, which means you appoint a chief and then you have 30 different people who willingly are chosen according to the political dispensation of the day which means every five years you expect the morality of your country to change," Shabana said here Thursday at the screening of the film "Qissa".

"Instead we should adopt the American system, whereby the filmmakers themselves yield and decide that they don't want a single cut but they realise that age appropriate behaviour is important. If they have a universal exhibition then they voluntarily give cuts," she added.

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