NEW DELHI: Filmmaker Gautam Ghose and actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan have been added to the Committee headed by Shyam Benegal to suggest a paradigm that ensures that artistic creativity and freedom do not get stifled/curtailed even as films are certified.

Benegal said it had been felt that more regions of the country should be given representation on the panel.

The Committee had over the weekend held its first meeting with Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley, Minister of State Rajyavardhan Rathore, and Secretary Sunil Arora.

The other Members of the Committee include filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, creative director Piyush Pandey, media veteran Bhawana Somayya, National Film Development Corporation MD Nina Lath Gupta and Joint Secretary (Films) Sanjay Murthy as Member Convenor. The Committee has been requested to submit its recommendations within two months.  

When setting up the Committee on New Year’s Day, the Ministry had said that “in most countries of the world there is a mechanism/process of certifying feature films and documentaries," an official release also said that the attempt should also be that “the people tasked with the work of certification understand these nuances."

The recommendations of this Committee are expected to provide a holistic framework and enable those tasked with the work of certification of films to discharge their responsibilities keeping in view this framework. 

The note said Indian films have a glorious history and a whole lot of Indian films have enriched the cultural milieu of the country besides making astonishing advances in technical aspects of film making.

During their deliberations, the Committee would be expected to take note of the best practices in various parts of the world, especially where the film industry is given sufficient and adequate space for creative and aesthetic expression.

The Committee will recommend broad guidelines and procedures under the provisions of the Cinematograph Act 1952, Rules for the benefit of the chairperson and other members of the Screening Committee. The staffing pattern of Central Board of Film Certification would also be looked into in an effort to recommend a framework, which would provide efficient and transparent user friendly services.