Our cinema has become a global joke because of censorship – Sophie Choudry

Actress cum singer Sophie Choudry is absolutely dismayed at with the current dictatorial ways of the censor board. The actress who has always been bold and free-spirited feels censoring the portrayal of real things on screen is akin to ridiculing cinema itself.

Says Sophie, “We have become a global joke. We were anyways a joke because ours is the only country where every time a character lights up a cigarette on screen, there is a disclaimer that comes. I am sorry. Just by flashing the disclaimer up on screen will it stop people smoking? That is ridiculing a film.”

Sophie who hails from London and has traveled across the globe feels it’s about time to draft in the method of certification followed internationally.  “I think we are at a point where anything that we will get banned. The whole point of the censor board should be to certify films and not censor it. We need to follow the global norms where you have movies for children, children accompanied by adult, people who are of the age of 15 or above 18. That is how it should be.”

For Sophie, censorship should only be applied in cases where there is extreme possibility of great violence to unfurl post the release of a particular film. “Anything that can cause communal trouble should be dealt with. We all want to protect ourselves. But at the end of the day, movies need to mirror the society and here you are stopping people from doing that. It is ridiculous. I find it shocking to see the current state of affairs but I am also reassured that it is going to change very quickly.”

Well, we hope so too.