Vishal Bhardwaj on Saturday said that the Censor Board gives a “deaf” ear to the concerns of the filmmakers.

The writer-director, who has faced troubles with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) in the past, said films were a “soft target” for anything and everything that goes wrong with society.

When asked for his reaction on the possibility of censorship creeping into the digital medium, Mr. Bhardwaj said, “Did they listen to us when they put the ‘no smoking’ ticker on a running visual? Do they hear us even now? They (Censor Board) are deaf. They do whatever they want to do. We are the only nation in this world that has ‘no smoking’ on a running visual. How more ridiculous can it be?”

He said the web medium gives a director the liberty to indulge in things that are becoming difficult to try in films.

“The kind of things you can do in a series ... and there’s no censorship. That Animal Welfare Board, my God, it’s a pain in the neck, if I can’t say a**. And the kind of things they impose on you. Films are such a soft target. If anything is happening to someone, (target) the film. As if films are responsible for every evil that exists in society,” he added.

He was speaking at NDFC’s Film Bazaar Knowledge Series session “Storytellers First - Directors and Producers who Changed the Game”.

Mr. Bhardwaj said he would love to create a project for the digital medium “as soon as possible”.

“It is such a creative freedom for a director. I love cinema... But these series offer something really unique... In films, at the editing level, we have to let go of many nuances... The small characters you don’t concentrate on... Series gives you that liberty and freedom,” he added.