Kiran Shroff, producer of Babumoshai Bandookbaaz has alleged that the members of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) made sexist remarks against her for producing the film and for her clothing. The alleged incident happened when they had visited the CBFC office to certify the Nawazuddin Siddiqui starrer.
It all started when they ordered as many as 48 cuts in the film. “They (CBFC) had an internal discussion for an hour after the screening. First, they told us that they were giving us an A certificate. Then they told us that there are 48 cuts. We argued that if the film is for adults, then why have so many cuts. They didn’t bother much, and continued to explain each cut and their logic behind it,” said Shroff while talking to daily, Bombay Times.
But, according to her, the discussion turned nasty when a couple of CBFC members made sexist personal attacks on her. “In the middle of that, a lady officer turned to me and said, ‘Aap aurat hokar aisi filmein kaise bana sakti hain?’ (Being a woman, how can you make such films?). And before I could speak up, a man in the committee said, ‘But she is not a woman. Look at what she is wearing.’ I was dumbfounded. This is such a regressive thought. I was on the verge of saying that a lady officer in the committee is also wearing the same attire, so does that mean she too is not a woman? But I didn’t say a word because sadly, this is the kind of humiliation producers have to put up with,” she added.
The incident also made Shroff wonder about the CBFC’s criteria to certify films. “If they are judging me by my clothes, I can imagine the parameters they must have used to pass my film,” she said.
Director Kushan Nandy too is appalled by the incident. “They humiliated Kiran which is unpardonable,” he said during a conversation with a daily.
While talking to a daily, CBFC head Pahlaj Nihalani denied having any knowledge about the incident. CBFC member Ashoke Pandit, however, acknowledged that the complaint has been made and a meeting will be held today regarding the incident. “IFTDA has taken note of the complaint and on Wednesday we will hold a meeting,” he said.