This image was posted on Twitter by Ashoke Pandit
The Central Board of Film Certification has declared certain words off-limits for filmmakers, prompting a deluge of angry tweets from many quarters, including from Board member Ashoke Pandit.
Mr Pandit, who is a director and producer, said he was not consulted by Board chief Pahlaj Nihalani on the list of proscribed words and that he did not endorse it. He also said:
Mr Pandit's sentiments were echoed across Twitter. Actress-activist Shabana Azmi pointed out that the Board of Film Certification's job was to certify and not censor.
Filmmaker Danish Aslam said: "The words the Censor Board does not want you to hear, a.k.a words every kid already knows."
Author Samit Basu said: "Would be fun if this was a list of board members"
The Board's diktat lists 15 Hindi cuss words and 13 in English and applies to regional cinema as well. It also bans 'double meanings of words,' showing 'violence against women,' and specifies that 'bloodshed should not be glorified.' Mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik tweets: "No films on
Ramayana and
Mahabharata now: censor board forbids depicting bloodshed and violence against women."
The Board also makes it a point to mention that Bombay should be replaced with Mumbai, which casts a shadow on the future of Anurag Kashyap's forthcoming film
Bombay Velvet, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma.