New Delhi: After being asked to hear a case challenging the CBFC certification awarded to the controversial film "The Kerala Story," the Supreme Court declined on Thursday, citing the need for courts to be cautious while stopping the screening of films.
The highest court noted that producers have spent money and actors have spent time on the picture, and that it is up to the market to determine whether or not the film is successful.
The film is set to premiere on May 5 and will depict the purported radicalization and conversion to Islam of young Hindu women in Kerala before their induction into the terrorist group Islamic State (IS).—Inputs from Agencies

After being asked to hear a case challenging the CBFC certification awarded to the controversial film "The Kerala Story," the Supreme Court declined on Thursday, citing the need for courts to be cautious while stopping the screening of films.

SC refuses to entertain plea against 'The Kerala Story', says must be very careful about staying films

Mumbai: The Rudrabhishek scene of Lord Shiva with railway water in the recently released teaser for Akshay Kumar's upcoming film 'OMG 2' has caused some controversy.
In the scene, Lord Shiva played by Akshay is seen anointed with the water coming from the railway.
The Censor Board of Film Certification (CFBC) has refused to give the certificate to release the film. The film is currently with the review committee for consideration.
In the teaser, Akshay is seen playing Lord Shankar and Pankaj Tripathi is seen in the role of a supreme Shiva devotee.
Social media users have voiced their displeasure with the controversial moment, claiming it harmed their sentiments.
On August 11th, the movie will be released in theatres.
The satirical comedy-drama movie is directed by Amit Rai.
Starring Akshay Kumar, Pankaj Tripathi, Yami Gautam, and Arun Govil, it is a spiritual sequel of OMG - Oh My God! Sex education in Indian schools is said to be a central theme of the film.—Inputs from Agencies

The Rudrabhishek scene of Lord Shiva with railway water in the recently released teaser for Akshay Kumar's upcoming film 'OMG 2' has caused some controversy

Rudrabhishek of Lord Shiva with railway water: CBFC sends 'OMG 2' to review panel

New Delhi: In a measure to alter the Cinematograph Act, the government has suggested punishing anyone who make illegal copies of films with up to three years in prison and a fine of up to five percent of the film's production cost.
In addition to eliminating the 10-year validity limit for the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) certificate, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur introduced the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill-2023 in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
On Friday, the Bill was released to the general public.—Inputs from Agencies

In a measure to alter the Cinematograph Act, the government has suggested punishing anyone who make illegal copies of films with up to three years in prison and a fine of up to five percent of the film's production cost.

Centre proposes maximum three-year jail term, steep fines to curb film piracy

New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha on Thursday passed a Bill to curb the menace of film piracy, revamp age-based certification given by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) as well as uniformity in the categorisation of films and content across platforms.
Speaking on the Bill, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur said the Bill has been brought to get relief from the loss of Rs 20,000 crore to piracy.
"Piracy is like cancer and we are trying to uproot it through this Bill," Thakur said in support of the Bill, which has provisions to curb transmission of pirated film content on the internet as well as to classify films on the basis of age group, instead of the current practice of 'U', 'A', and 'UA'. The Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill 2023 was passed in the Rajya Sabha with a voice vote in the absence of opposition parties who had earlier staged a walkout. "U" is for unrestricted public exhibition and "A" is restricted to adult audiences, while "UA" is for unrestricted public exhibition subject to parental guidance for children below the age of 12 and "S" for special category audiences such as doctors and scientists.
The Bill seeks amendment to the Cinematograph Act, 1952. The amendments will address the issue of unauthorised recording and exhibition of films.
The Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2023 was introduced in Rajya Sabha on July 20. The draft Act constitutes the Board of Film Certification for certifying films for exhibition. Such certifications may be subject to modifications and deletions. The Board may also refuse the exhibition of films.
The Bill adds certain additional certificate categories based on age. Under the Act, the film may be certified for exhibition without restriction (‘U’); without restriction, but subject to the guidance of parents or guardians for children below 12 years of age (‘UA’); only to adults (‘A’); or only to members of any profession or class of persons (‘S’).&nbsp;&nbsp;
The Bill substitutes the UA category with the following three categories to also indicate age-appropriateness UA 7+, UA 13+, or UA 16+. The age endorsement within the UA category by the Board will inform guidance of parents or guardians, and will not be enforceable by any other persons other than parents or guardians.
Films with an ‘A’ or ‘S’ certificate will require a separate certificate for exhibition on television, or any other media prescribed by the central government. The Board may direct the applicant to carry appropriate deletions or modifications for the separate certificate.
The Bill prohibits carrying out or abetting the unauthorised recording and unauthorised exhibition of films. Attempting an unauthorised recording will also be an offence.&nbsp;&nbsp;
An unauthorised recording means making or transmitting an infringing copy of a film at a licensed place for a film exhibition without the owner’s authorisation. An unauthorised exhibition means the public exhibition of an infringing copy of the film for profit at a location not licensed to exhibit films or in a manner that infringes upon the copyright law.
Certain exemptions under the Copyright Act, 1957 will also apply to the above offences. The 1957 Act allows limited use of copyrighted content without the owner’s authorisation in specified cases such as private or personal use, reporting of current affairs, or review or critique of that work.
The offences will be punishable with imprisonment between three months and three years, and a fine between three lakh rupees and 5 per cent of the audited gross production cost.
Under the Act, the certificate issued by the Board is valid for 10 years. The Bill provides that the certificates will be perpetually valid. The Act empowers the central government to examine and make orders in relation to films that have been certified or are pending certification. The Board is required to dispose of matters in conformance with the order. The Bill removes this power of the central government.
—ANI

 The Rajya Sabha on Thursday passed a Bill to curb the menace of film piracy,

RS Passes Bill To Curb Film Piracy, Revamp Age-Based Certification

 The Rajya Sabha on Thursday passed a Bill to curb the menace of film piracy

New Delhi [India]: Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry on Friday said the government has “zero tolerance” for corruption and has initiated an inquiry into the claim by Tamil actor Vishal that he paid Rs 6.5 lakh bribe to obtain censor certification of the Hindi version of his film ‘Mark Antony’.  On Thursday the actor took to social media application X to allege that officials from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) Mumbai office had demanded Rs 6.5 lakh in exchange for the screening and granting of a U/A certificate for his film.
“The issue of corruption in CBFC brought forth by actor @VishalKOfficial is extremely unfortunate. The Government has zero tolerance for corruption and strictest action will be taken against anyone found involved,” according to a statement by the I&amp;B Ministry. https://twitter.com/MIB_India/status/1707649033593135208 The ministry said a senior officer has been deputed to conduct an inquiry into the matter. “A senior officer from the Ministry of Information &amp; Broadcasting has been deputed to Mumbai to conduct an inquiry today itself. We request everyone to cooperate with the Ministry, by providing information about any other instance of harassment by CBFC at jsfilms.inb@nic.in,” the I&amp;B Ministry statement read.
Filmmaker Ashoke Pandit, who is a former member of the CBFC told ANI said that Tamil actor has levelled "very serious" allegations and has demanded an investigation by the CBI. He further said that people named by the Tamil actor as having taken the money are not employees of the CBFC and therefore “whoever the money was given to has to be investigated.” “There are two names he takes in his statement, M Rajan and Jija Ramdas. As per my knowledge, these two are not the employees of CBFC... Accusing a CBFC officer at this stage is not right... But if allegations are being made, then we demand a CBI inquiry because the allegations are very serious... It is obvious that any officer who demands money will not take it (directly) into his account... These two people he named should be asked if they have taken the money on someone's behalf at the CBFC... High power inquiry should be initiated," Ashoke Pandit said. On Thursday, actor Vishal had shared a video message on X. "#Corruption being shown on silver screen is fine. But not in real life. Cant digest. Especially in govt offices. And even worse happening in #CBFC Mumbai office. Had to pay 6.5 lacs for my film #MarkAntonyHindi version. 2 transactions. 3 Lakhs for screening and 3.5 Lakhs for certificate," Vishal wrote. The actor also made an appealed to Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to look into the matter. "Never faced this situation ever in my career. Had no option but to pay the concerned mediator #Menaga coz too much at stake since movie released today. Bringing this to the notice of Hon Chief Minister of Maharashtra and my Hon PM Narendra Modiji. Doing this is not for me but for future producers. NOT HAPPENING. My hard earned money gone for corruption ??? No way. Evidence down for all to hear. Hope truth prevails as always. GB," Vishal added. ‘Mark Antony,’ a science fiction action comedy was released on September 15. Directed by Adhik Ravichandran and produced by S Vinod Kumar under Mini Studio, the film stars Vishal and S J Suryah in dual roles.
—ANI

Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry on Friday said the government has “zero tolerance” for corruption and has initiated an inquiry

I&B Ministry orders probe into Tamil actor Vishal’s bribery allegations against CBFC

Mumbai: Action drama film Animal has minted Rs 600.67 crore at the worldwide gross box office, the makers said on Thursday.
Fronted by Ranbir Kapoor and directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, the film released on December 1 in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam.  Production house T-Series shared the collection update of Animal on X, stating that the film's eight-day worldwide gross stood at Rs 600.67 crore.  "The Blockbuster’s Triumph continues," the banner captioned the post.
While it is running successfully in theatres, a section of critics and viewers have slammed Animal, calling it misogynistic and graphically violent.  The pan-India movie, which was given A certificate by the CBFC ahead of its release, also features Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Rashmika Mandanna, Triptii Dimri, Suresh Oberoi and Prem Chopra.  Animal showcases a violent world set against the backdrop of a troubled relationship between Ranbir's Ranvijay Singh and his father Balbir Singh, played by Anil Kapoor.  The movie is produced by Bhushan Kumar and Krishan Kumar's T-Series, Murad Khetani's Cine1 Studios and Pranay Reddy Vanga's Bhadrakali Pictures.
—PTI

Action drama film Animal has minted Rs 600.67 crore at the worldwide gross box office, the makers said on Thursday.

The Hawk

Tag : CBFC

SC refuses to entertain plea against 'The Kerala Story', says must be very careful about staying films

Nidhi Khurana

The Hawk

Tag : CBFC

SC refuses to entertain plea against 'The Kerala Story', says must be very careful about staying films

Nidhi Khurana

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