Sharmila Tagore bats for 15 plus category

New Delhi, Feb 6 (PTI) A new category ofcertification, to be called 15-plus (15+) is likely to beintroduced for movies in India.

This was indicated by Sharmila Tagore, the chairpersonof Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

"I think the CBFC should have a new category, a 15plus category, between U/A and A, because there is a hugedifference between a 12 and a 15 year old. The bill for thechange is yet to be tabled in the Parliament but I think mostproducers will be happy with the development," Tagore toldPTI.

At present the movies in India are certified underfour categories-- U, U/A, A and S.

Filmmakers like Prakash Jha, Sudhir Mishra and MadhurBhandarkar have not been happy with the certification of theirmovies in the past, but Tagore, who took over as CBFCchairperson in 2004, says the Board has been trying to matchthe changing times with a liberal approach.

"I cannot possibly deny that the Board has become moreliberal during my tenure. The audience has changed and maturedover the years and so has cinema," the 66-year-old star says.

The Board has passed controversial movies like''Omkara'', ''Kaminey'', ''Ishqiya'' and ''No One Killed Jessica''without any cuts, although with an ''A'' certificate. Tagoresays she is in favour of no cuts as deleting scenes oftendestroys the film.

"We are trying to get away from cutting films and dowith just certification. But sometimes the producers come tous saying that they do not want an ''A'' certificate.

"Say for example if the producers of ''No One KilledJessica'' would have asked for a U/A certificate we would haveto cut out all the abusive language and Rani Mukherjee''scharacter would have been destroyed. If you want a U/Acertificate then you will have to accept the cuts but oftenthe cuts kill the film," says Tagore.

The 66-year-old actress does not agree withfilmmakers, who question the need of a regulatory body. Tagoresays it is important to maintain a standard for cinema inIndia, where sensibilities differ from region to region.

"Self-regulation is the best policy but it''s due tothe absence of one cohesive film body that the CBFC does thepart. In other democracies like the US and the UK, film bodiesare doing the job and even they ban films and order cuts,though theirs is a much more mature society," she says. PTIKKR BK VSS