A draft bill aimed at amending the Cinematography Act has proposed doing away with the Central Board of Film Certification’s powers to make filmmakers modify or delete the content of their projects.

Instead of truncating parts of a film, the government body – commonly known as the censor board – will give filmmakers reasons for the certification it is likely receive. They will then have the option of either accepting the board’s decision or modifying the movie to make it suitable for more universal certification. The reviewing committee of the board may be approached over any disagreement in this regard.

A committee headed by renowned filmmaker Shyam Benegal had suggested that the censor board be stripped of its powers to demand excisions or modifications in a movie. The panel was set up by the government to “suggest a holistic framework for certification of films and recommend a framework that would provide efficient and transparent user-friendly services”.