Veteran actor and producer Rashid Khwaja. PHOTO: EXPRESS/ FILE
LAHORE:
Veteran actor and producer Rashid Khwaja seems set to become the chairman of the censor board, following Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf’s directives to appoint him to the position earlier this week.
While sources maintain the move may yet be delayed as the Election Commission is still in the process of vetting his appointment, the news has created a stir amongst the film fraternity. Many believe Khwaja’s appointment creates a conflict of interest due to his close relationship with film distributor Nadeem Mandviwalla, especially given the latter’s position on film imports. The producer is also closely related to Finance Minister Saleem Mandviwalla.
Talking to The Express Tribune, producer and director Syed Noor condemned the move, claiming Khwaja was part of the Indian lobby and had interests in the neighbour country’s film industry.
“People in the industry are deeply worried by his appointment because he is a controversial figure,” Noor contended. He explained the previous chairman, Dr Raja Pervaiz Hyder, had either banned or cut several films coming in from India and had taken a hardline stance against pro-Indian content. This, he claimed, threatened several film importers and distributors in the country, which include Nadeem Mandviwalla.
“He is part of the pro-Indian lobby, that has historically been against the Pakistani film industry… he is the cousin of Mandviwalla as well, who himself is an importer.”
Nadeem Mandviwalla, however, welcomed Khwaja’s appointment as chairman of the censor board. He said he had been advocating the appointment of someone from the industry to the position, adding that Khwaja had made two local films and had worked for the betterment of the local industry.
“Dealing with films and cinema is a specialised task and needs people connected with the industry,” Mandviwalla maintained.
“There is no conflict of interest here since Khwaja is not an importer… He has produced two local films, which shows his commitment to the local industry… He will be able to understand the industry’s issues.”
Addressing whether the check on the import of films had prevented people from accessing banned films, Mandviwalla said piracy prevailed in the country in any case and people were able to see any such film.
“They (the bureaucrats) have not really helped… Ek tha tiger was banned (from cinemas), but was available on every other medium… the idea is to promote legitimate avenues to control piracy and the circulation of illegal content,” he asserted.
Meanwhile, the Adviser to the Ministry of National Regulation and Services Iftikhar Durrani sought to dispel apprehensions that Khwaja lacked the qualifications necessary to head the censor board. He maintained educational requirements were only necessary for other departments of the government.
“The censor board and importers enjoy a positive relationship, and there is no tension over the role the censor board plays in censoring films,” said Durrani. “All the films that had been banned were done by the approval of the board, and had been referred to the full-board on each occasion… there was no controversy over the board’s role in that matter.”
Despite the revelation, Khwaja himself maintained the media had leaked the premier’s directives prematurely, adding that he had yet to receive an official notification of his appointment. He did, however, said he believed that the position should be occupied by a personality connected to film.
“I think that there has to be someone (in the position) who has an understanding of film,” said Khwaja, whose film Salakhain was the first Pakistani film censored in India. He cited the neighbour country’s example, whose censor board has been headed by notable film personalities like Sharmila Tagore and Anupam Kher.
The censor board, which was recently reformed under the purview of the Ministry of Rules and Regulation, was previously headed by Dr Raja Pervaiz Hyder and Rai Akbar, who had been given an additional charge. During their temporary reign, they reconstituted the board, introduced a rating system and created a revenue mechanism for it. The board also hosted a critical policy meeting regarding the country’s future film framework during their tenure.
According to insiders, the changes made by Hyder and Akbar included stricter censoring models, under which films with content deemed against national interest, were censored.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 16th, 2013.
COMMENTS (1)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
I'm sorry to say but Syed Noor (someone I once had huge respect for) has turned completely irrational in his stance on Hollywood and Bollywood. He makes C-grade films and expect people to flock to cinemas to watch them. Instead of focusing on improving quality of his own product, he believes in banning competition. Mr Noor, do you really think 180 million people are fool that they would spend their hard earned money on a substandard project just because it's Pakistani? Thats exactly the type of thinking behind all of Pakistan's ailments - from banning youtube and Facebook to larger issue of blasphemy law. These groups and individuals instead of creating a culture of sensible discussion, favor decisions based on their narrow understanding of the world. We need to rid all our policy making bodies from incompetent people (like Mr. Syed Noor) and try to catch up with international market trends and culture. Mr Abdul Salam, once said that Pakistan has become a house with towering walls and no windows. People like Mr Noor are what makes this perception a reality.