“Censorship is a childish trait in a grownup society” – Kamal Haasan

By Subhash K. Jha -

April 14, 2015 - 10:02 AM IST

“Censorship is a childish trait in a grownup society” – Kamal Haasan

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad has called for a ban on the new Tamil Kamal Haasan starrer as they feel one of the songs may offend devotees of Lord Vishnu.

Reacting to the ban call, Kamal Haasan spoke exclusively to this writer. "As an ex- Vaishnavite and an ex-Shaivite, I can only feel concern for my detractors lack of knowledge on their own mythology. These are small groups who claim to represent the quite majority who know better."

The actor-filmmaker can't understand the fuss when the film has been cleared by the CBFC. "The certification board also had responsible people some I sure would like to identify themselves as such. They enjoyed the film and found no reason to take umbrage. My film has been certified U, which means it is suited to audiences of all ages."

The amazing Kamal Haasan, who went through hell and high water trying to get his film Vishwaroopam passed the moral police, is totally opposed to censorship.

Says the actor, "Censorship is a clear sign of someone not wanting you to speak your mind even if thoughts are just and normal.Even children try to stop their friends from revealing something which they think might be embarrassing to them. It is a childish trait in a grownup society."

Censorship according to Kamal Haasan, besides being against our fundamental rights, is also undemocratic. "Governments which are still not open to democracy, do such things. We are not under such a government."

He feels the censor board should exist only for certification. "Why should a certification board appointed by a government which in turn is appointed by us, behave like a censor board? Morals change every fifty years drastically. So policing it according to scriptures thousands of years old is futile. Not all that is old is gold. Some are just fossils of what they used to be."