Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has on Tuesday strongly opposed the draft Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2021, amid growing outrage against the bill, which might dismantle the autonomous status of the Central Board of Film Certification. Stalin has become the first Chief Minister in India to register his opposition against the bill, that was recently proposed by the Union government. 

In his letter to Union Minister for Information and Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad, Chief Minister MK Stalin has said that the amendment itself is against the spirit of promoting rightful thinking in civil society. According to reports, MK Stalin has written to the Union Minister a day after a delegation of the state's film industry representatives, including the Tamil Film Producers' Council, had met him and requested him to intervene in the matter. 

In his letter, Stalin said, "The draft bill has raised serious alarm not only in the minds of the film fraternity and film industry but also among all well-meaning sections of the society that cherish freedom of expression. A vibrant democracy must provide adequate space for creative thinking and artistic freedom." He noted that the amendment aims to restrict it by awarding the revisionary powers to the Union government despite the apex court quashed such powers two decades ago. 

The Chief Minister has highlighted that the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) accords certification to movies if they meet all the criteria mentioned in section 5(a) of the Cinematograph Act. Moreover, adequate provisions for exercising control over filmmaking are available in the form of guidelines. He said that such an amendment is considered excessive to add more laws and acts to throttle the freedom of a creative form in the 21st century. 

He said, "I wish to reiterate that the draft amendment restoring the revisional power to the Center after it is certified by the CBFC is a misuse of a reasonable restriction clause under Article 19(2) of the Constitution of India." He further noted that as per the guidelines, if a movie is certified for public viewing by the CBFC, it falls within the domain of the state governments first and it must be left to them as Law and Order is a state subject.

He added, "But now, the Union government, through the draft, attempts to function against the spirit of cooperative federalism and transgress the powers of the state governments and its own Central Board of Film Certification." He further urged, "Considering the above points and genuine concerns raised by the film fraternity and various sections of the society across India, I urge you to withdraw the proposed amendment to Cinematograph Act 1952 and also allow for functional autonomy of the CBFC, so that we remain as a progressive nation where creative thinking, including art, culture, and film making, be nurtured without fear or favour."