Subhash K Jha (DNA; April 5, 2016)
Jungle Book is said to be one of the most beloved children’s books of all times. Yet, the new film version of the Rudyard Kipling novel which opens this Friday, has been granted a ‘U/A’ (suited for children only if accompanied by an adult) certificate by the Censor Board Of Film Certification (CBFC) leading to raised eyebrows among the CBFC baiters. Censor chief Pahlaj Nihalani justifies the U/A certification for Jungle Book, “Please don’t go by the reputation of the book. See the film and then decide on the suitability of the content for kids. The 3D effects are so scary that the animals seem to jump right at the audience. It’s not just the story that determines certification. It’s the overall presentation, the packaging and most important of all, the visual effects used to tell the story. In Jungle Book the jungle animals jumping at the audience in 3D is startling. It’s up to parents to decide how much of these effects are suited for their children.”
In fact, says Nihalani, there is an inbuilt problem to the ‘U/A’ certificate that needs attention. ‘U/A’ certification gives the parents the right to decide whether they want to take their children for a film. But how do parents know the exact content of a film when they visit a film? We granted ‘U/A’ to Kapoor & Sons, but we’ve received objection to kids being allowed to see the film.”