Much brouhaha has been created ever since Censor board chief Pahlaj Nihalani certified the much awaited film ‘The Jungle Book’ as ‘U/A’. Nihalani, who has in past taken some bizarre decision on behalf of the board, stated that the children’s film ‘was scary’ in parts and hence the certification. Most people were appalled by the certification- a series that was an integral part of our childhood got a U/A certificate because why would something so special and enchanting be deemed unfit for children?
I do not agree with the unnecessary censorship that our cinema is subjected to nowadays but having watched Jon Favreau’s ‘The Jungle Book’ last night, I would have to agree with the certification. First of all we need to understand what ‘U/A’ certification means. According to CBFC website, ‘U/A’ certification film is for ‘Unrestricted Public Exhibition - but with a word of caution that Parental discretion is required for children below 12 years’. So basically the rating doesn’t restrict children from viewing the film. It just asks parents to decide whether or not they should take their children below the age of 12 to watch a film with some very realistic CGI.
The film, based on Rudyard Kipling’s classic, has child actor Neel Sethi playing Mowgli a ‘man cub’ raised by a pack of wolves right from infancy after his biological father is killed by the tiger Shere Khan. The chase sequences at the beginning, shot splendidly gives you an adrenaline rush. There are sequences where the tiger lunges forward to get a grasp on the little boy and inside the theater you gasp out in surprise and shock. That’s how brilliant the film’s graphics are. I was personally intrigued and tad bit squeamish in the scene where Mowgli encounters the mighty python Kaa. It’s an enchanting scene; a dense jungle, a lost little boy and huge python speaking to him from the deepest corners while its tail slowly slithers around Mowgli. And I’d understand why it could be scary for certain children and why it needed parental discretion.
We all have grown up watching ‘The Jungle Book’ series on Doordarshan back in the 1990s. The series was an animated one and immensely popular for its content and of course its title song. Baghira, Kaa, Baloo and Shere Khan are some characters that were as much a part of our childhood as they were of Mowgli’s. But while animation tends to make animals and for that matter every character look cute and child-like, live action doesn’t. The film has brilliant graphic work and the animals look all too real which can be a bit too much to handle for a 5 year old.
Delhi based Supriya Menon, who has a four-year-old son, says “I was initially very excited to take my son for the film. But then we watched the trailer and I saw by son shutting his eyes whenever Shere Khan came on the screen. So maybe I’ll have to skip it or wait till it is aired on TV." Soumyadip Choudhury, father of a three-year-old son, echoes the same thought. “Now that I know about the film’s certification, I will re-think once before taking my child to watch it." Runa Mukherjee, mother of a one-year-old, has slightly different view on the matter. “I understand that parents have been asked to use their discretion but I wouldn’t mind taking my child to watch it on the big screen had he been a little older. How else would I know if he likes to watch such films or not?" says Mukherjee. “The film is dark and violent and for a five-year-old child, that is too intense," feels Shruti Sharma.
In Hollywood, the film has been given a similar PG rating and perhaps for a reason. Pahlaj Nihalani’s past judgments on what is right and what is wrong has been controversial and for a reason. Making James Bond more ‘sanskari’ is silly, blurring Godess Kali’s photo in ‘Angry Indian Goddesses’ is unnecessary and muting words like ‘condom’ and ‘sex’ is weird; but certifying a film U/A which has realistic graphics, lot of violence is not wrong. ‘U/A’ is not an adult film about sex or obscene gestures, it can be also about violence, realistic graphics which may scare anyone, not just children. Perhaps Nihalani’s past judgment makes us condescending about all of his work. But maybe we need to re assess things a bit. And yes, use our discretion.
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