Censor Board blues

The caretaker government moved the Central Film Censor Board into the cabinet ministry but did not appoint an acting censor board chairman, leading to millions of rupees worth of losses to the film industry in just two weeks. The carelessness on the part of the caretaker government in this regard has not just affected our film industry, which is struggling to stay afloat, but the distributors as well, who cannot release new films in the cinemas.

In the last decade, we saw how our cinemas were overtaken by stage shows because of the onslaught of cable television and the deteriorating quality of Pakistani films. People started flocking to the cinemas once again when Bollywood films were allowed to screen in Pakistan. Many in the local industry were not in favour of this move but others realised that reviving the cinema culture is important for the entertainment-deprived masses and it was encouraging to see cinema-goers queuing up to see movies, even if they were foreign films.

Inadvertently, this move also helped the ratings of some local movies go up. The importance of a flourishing cinema culture should not be lost on the authorities. In fact, more entertainment avenues should be opened up. Concerts, puppet shows, cultural shows, art shows, literary festivals and other such entertainment should be provided to all and sundry with the help of the government. With the dissolution of the culture ministry after the implementation of the Eighteenth Amendment, the next government should either restore the Central Board of Film Censors (CBFC) or ensure that all provincial censor boards are functional. It is also important for the incoming government to make certain that our local film industry, which has suffered much in the past, is now encouraged rather than neglected. Many of our legends of yore are living in deprivation. The government should form a trust as a tribute to our living legends for this would help encourage new entrants to revive our film industry.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 23^rd, 2013.