Censor board chief Pahlaj Nihalani brushed aside criticism of the decision to bleep certain words.
Facing sharp criticism for the censor board's decision to bleep words such as "cow" and "Hindu India", the censor board chief Pahlaj Nihalani on Wednesday brushed aside the attacks. "This is our job," the chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification, popularly called the censor board, said. He added the producer and director could go to the appeals tribunal or the advisory committee if they had any issues.
The censor board has told the producer of Argumentative Indian, a documentary on the renowned economist that the Nobel Laureate would have to be beeped when he says the words "Gujarat", "Hindu India" and "Hindutva view of India".
Dr Amartya Sen told NDTV on Wednesday that he was astonished at the censor board's decision and "it shows the country is in the hands of an authoritarian regime pursuing its own view of what is good for the country".
Filmed over 15 years, the documentary has Dr Sen in conversation with one of his students, economist and India's former chief economic adviser Kaushik Basu.
The board's decision has been widely criticised. Actor Kabir Bedi waded into the ongoing debate described Pahlaj Nihalani as a disaster. "Censor Board has no idea how much it is damaging India's image with their stupid demands," he tweeted.
But this isn't a first for the censor board headed by Mr Nihalani, notorious for questionable decisions.
In 2016, the board told producers to remove all references to Punjab, elections and political parties in the movie "Udta Punjab" on the state's drug problem.
The high court, however, restored all these cuts except one, telling the board that it must "not kill creativity".
Last month, the board reportedly asked for multiple cuts in "Indu Sarkar", a Madhur Bhandarkar film set against the backdrop of Emergency. The film has also run into trouble with the CBFC, which has demanded 14 cuts.