Films and censorship: Where to draw the line?

"Jibon Theke Neya" (1970), "Muktir Gaan" (1995), and "Matir Moina" (2002).

This is not a list of some of the greatest Bangladeshi films ever made, rather a few movies that were stuck in censorship limbo for a long time, before their eventual release.

In similar fashion, Mostofa Sarwar Farooki's directorial film "Saturday Afternoon" (Shonibar Bikel) (2019) is one of the more recent films facing this obstacle. Another film, which has been trapped within the confines of censorship limbo is Aung Rakhine's "My Bicycle" (Mor Thengari) (2015)—Bangladesh's first Chakma language film.

Recently, Dhaka University Film Society organised an open dialogue titled 'Jukti Tokko Goppo', as part of their Amar Bhashar Chalachchitra 1429 festival. The discussion focused on the art of filmmaking and how convoluted censorship laws are a major obstacle in the Bangladeshi film industry.

Present among the discussants were National Award-winning director, Zahidur Rahman Anjan; photographer, archivist and film researcher Mir Shamsul Alam Babu, and director and poet Akram Khan.

"When you want to paint something or say, write a poem, you do not have to go to an authority to have it approved. Only in the case of films, these restrictions have been preserved since British Colonial times," shared Mir Shamsul Alam Babu.

The Bangladesh Film Censorship Board (BFCB) has the responsibility of approving films appropriate for the native audience, ensuring that the content abides by the laws of the government.

What laws? The Censorship of Films Act, 1963—which was amended in 2006—the Censorship of Films Rules 1977, and The Code for Censorship of Films in Bangladesh, 1985. Yet, there appears to be a clear dissatisfaction over the type of films that are approved and those that fall into the pits of censorship limbo.

Some of the most intellectually sound films often fail to receive clearance, and quite often, the filmmakers are unable to make sense of the rationale behind the decision to suppress their films.

"Censorship is a lot about politics. We have observed over the course of history how members on the board are fixed in accordance with the benefits of political parties," said Zahidur Rahman Anjan.

Babu added to the debate saying, "They are afraid of establishing and enlightening the populace, even though it should be up to the consumers to decide between good and bad cinema."

Anonno Mamun's "Makeup" (2020) is another film struggling to receive clearance for a theatrical release. The Censor Board has deemed the film 'unfit' for clearance.

Continuing on the issue, Akram Khan said, "In many parts of the world, if you crumple a piece of paper and place it somewhere as 'art', it is art. But here, someone is trying to stop an entire film from being acknowledged."

He added that in many cases, the laws used to approve a film in Bangladesh were rather vague. "Firstly, to discuss the clauses, one needs to know the clauses. Secondly, it should be known that films are being censored despite not breaking any clause. If the clauses could specify exactly the dos and don'ts in cinema, we filmmakers could easily abide by them," added Akram.

Not many people know that the first film legendary actress Shabana ever shot was "Bhagya Chakra" (1968), which was released much later due to censorship issues. This was due to the film introducing the Hindu-Muslim dynamic during the then Pakistan.

Another film, "Agami" (1984) was asked to remove the words 'Joy Bangla' and 'Pak Hanadar Bahini' from the film. The effect of time and political dynamics in the nation have been preventing films from receiving clearance for quite some time now.

However, these films are not lacklustre productions that fail to garner attention. In many cases, they have been receiving critical acclaim when displayed in different festivals across the world. What may be wrong today, may be seen as normalcy in the coming years. However, in between, the art of filmmaking suffers.

"While censorship cannot be totally banned, we have to find a way out of this to fight against the vague terms and clauses in the laws," said Zahidur Rahman Anjan, concluding the discussion.

The dialogue was moderated by Asif Karim Chowdhury, member at Dhaka University Film Society. 'Amar Bhashar Chalachchitra 1429', the 21st rendition of the flagship event, came to a conclusion on February 9 at TSC, University of Dhaka.