What worries the film producers?

The new set of rules by Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) which includes the shocking introduction that the board requires 68 days in total to certify a film and that filmmakers must prepare accordingly, did not go well with the filmmakers and producers from K’town.

We talk to veteran producers, filmmakers and actors-turned-producers who feel strongly about the issue. Most of them opine that  they are borrowing money and investing in the films and the new rules make it cumbersome with hidden problems like piracy.

The rules also state that no one should contact any of the CBFC officers through phone. If the makers want to know the censor status of their film, they are required to log into their account on CBFC’s website. The board also has informed the producers not to encourage any middlemen who offer any help in speeding up the censor process in return for money. “We, in no way encourage such processes and producers are free to complain about it to the Chairman or CEO of the board,” says an official from CBFC.

It was the national award winning filmmaker Seenu Ramasamy who reacted strongly to it when CBFC put it up on their website. He posted, “Films are not court cases to take such a long time to get the censor verdict. Then who will pay the heavy interest for more that two months if censor takes 68 days to give certification? Are we (those who are passionate on art of cinema) not allowed to live?” (sic)

However, reportedly the issue has been in the pipeline for the last few months and the Tamil Film Producers Council (TFPC) has already made their representation to the Regional Censors. Confirming it, producer and TFPC secretary Gnanavel Raja said, “The new rules have already been implemented two months ago and films like Mersal, Hara Hara Maha Devaki and Spyder faced problems because of the new diktat. We have already met the regional officer of CBFC, Mathialagen and requested them to revoke the order. Also, Prakash Raj in the capacity of the VP of Producers Council has  talked to the CBFC head.”

He adds, “As a producer we all borrow money and make our films. If the Censors take 68 days to give certificate to our films, imagine the kind of interest burden on it and it would eventually kill our business of filmmaking. My humble request to the CBFC is to reconsider the present order”.

Producer SR Prabhu also echoes a similar view. “We were earlier getting the Censor Certificate within a week which was a perfect arrangement. If the new guidelines are to be followed, then this will have heavy burden on producers and the film industry would suffer. I wish CBFC would take producers welfare into consideration and increase the manpower of the board which will aid us.”

An actress-turned-producer on anonymity says, “It is impossible to hold and industry will get killed eventually! And in the case of producers who bankroll two languages simultaneously, he/she has to wait for two different timings, imagine the adding up interests. For example, if a producer had made a bilingual film (could be dubbed as well) with 20 crores budget, the interest he pays for a month is about '65 lakhs. And in this case, waiting period being 68 days, the person would lose somewhere around Rs 1 crore and odd. Moreover, indirect problems like leaking and piracy would crop in. As it is we are paying so many taxes and we are not given protection from piracy and this will only add to our misery.”
Director Vignesh Shivan tweeted on the issue — “When u jus think technology has advanced & things r changing! this happens What all hardships for our film industry in the last few months.” (sic)

Filmmaker-turned-producer Suseenthiran also feels that the new rule is really hard on them. “We undergo lot of pressure at the last moment while making a film. For a person like me who completes a film in six to eight months, this waiting period is too long. I hope , the Censor Board will understand our predicament and take necessary measures.”