Shashi Tharoor introduces Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill seeking to remove 'outdated provisions'

Shashi Tharoor on Friday introduced the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2018, in the Parliament to strengthen the notion of artistic freedom and do away with feudal provisions hampering it. In the Lok Sabha, the Thiruvananthapuram MP proposed that the Central Board of Film Certification should be a 'certification' body, not a 'censorship' body.In his tweet, the Congress leader also mentioned that the overriding control of the government over the CBFC's decisions should be curbed. He also called the body's power and the government's ability to review its decisions, as to whether or not a film should be screened, "regressive and paternalistic". Owing to the indistinct powers that currently reside with the CBFC, Tharoor says he has created comprehensive guidelines for the body to follow so that it does not pass orders without proper justification. Finally, the bill aims to do away with the State's power to ban a film, which he says should be the "last resort to maintain public order". The debate around the existing Cinematograph Act gathered steam after multiple states in India banned Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmaavat. The states claimed that Section 6 of the act empowers them to stop the release of any film which poses a threat to public order.Tharoor's bill was hailed by filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt on Twitter. He thanked Tharoor for giving the industry's "anguish a voice".