On Censorship
I dream of having my work censored.
Censorship, in essence, is affirmation of disagreement with the ideas portrayed. And I relish
disagreement. When parties disagree, debates spark. People are eager to express their
opinions. And it is through this very expression that censorship is defeated. The act of
censoring is rather misleading. Its objective is to suppress the spread of information but in
reality achieves the contrary.
Censorship has the power to take what might have actually been a mundane artefact and
transform it into the forbidden fruit of the forest. Tell me I am not allowed to read something,
and I will do everything in my power to get my hands on the text. This is not just me. It’s
human nature. Earlier this year, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) prevented the
release of Bollywood film Udta Punjab. The motion picture revolves around the widespread
substance abuse by the youth in the Indian state of Punjab. The film was later released for
public viewing with a single cut made to the film. The controversy surrounding the film only
resulted in a greater viewership. People were curious as to what was so contentious about
the contents of the film, that the numbers of the audience far surpassed what was
expected. The CBFC’s attempt to keep knowledge of the substance abuse from the rest of
the nation backfired terribly. Udta Punjab, due to the issues surrounding it, became one of
the highest grossing movies of the year according to Mumbai based newspaper The Indian
Express.
Censorship however is not always such a harmonious process in which the parties can
settle their dispute in court. Nevertheless, the outcome remains the same. More curiosity.
