“Abolish Censorship, No need for Scissors” says filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra during his address at FICCI Frames 2017.

Tussle between Filmmakers, producers and Censorship in India took an ugly turn in last couple of years. Despite being a certification institute, Censor Board has been dictating terms for movie releases.

“Rang De Basanti” maker talks about the reports that have been submitted to the Information and Broadcasting ministry by Shyam Benegal committee, which he was part of along with many other renowned personalities.

"What we (the committee) recommended is the immediate abolishment of censorship. There is complete clarity, there are no ifs and buts, there cannot be a scissor anymore in this great country. We need to preserve the freedom of expression," Mehra said at the inaugural session of the 18th edition of FICCI Frames.

The panel was set up to take a re-look at the functioning of Central Board of Film Certification, headed by Pahlaj Nihalani. It includes actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan, Mehra, adman Piyush Pandey and film scribe Bhawana Somayaa, among others.

Right now Censor Board is involved in controversy over “Lipstick Under My Burkha” which is produced by Prakash Jha.