The revised film-certification guidelines for the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), announced on September 16, have brought the debate around artistic freedom back into focus. As the newly constituted board begins its term, actor-filmmaker and CBFC board member Pallavi Joshi tells us she does not see her role as one that would curb artistic expression.
The 57-year-old also believes art should challenge audiences rather than simply entertain them. And I have no intention of doing that while on the board. “I think art is a medium which should disturb people. It is not just song and dance. It has to be romance also. It has to be biopics also. It has to be thought-provoking also. It has to give you a jolt sometimes.
“I am personally against any kind of restrictions on art and expression,” she shares, adding, “I do not, as an artist, as a performer, as a filmmaker, like to be told that I shouldn’t be doing this and I shouldn’t be doing that. Sometimes it has to slap you awake from your slumber,” she says.
