NFAI website has rare data on film certification

Pune: Did you know that in a silent film titled ‘Poona Raided’ made by Deccan Pictures Corporation in 1924 and directed by BV (Mama) Varerkar, a scene was cut and then passed by the then Bombay Board of Film Censors?

The film retells the legendary episode of Mughal Commander Shaiste Khan’s attack on Poona and King Shivaji’s bravery in repelling it. There is a scene in the film where Shaiste Khan makes an obeisance and the subtitle says ‘The Crescent Moon! Who calls him a Satan? He is the beloved of the Lord’, when Shivaji is transformed into Lord Shankar with the crescent moon on his head and is then transformed back into his original form as Shivaji. This scene has been cut out along with the above dialogues of Shaiste Khan.

This is one of the many rare and historical tit-bits about old movies that the Pune-based National Film Archive of India (NFAI) released on its official website. 

Over 2,500 pages of these records consist of the early film data published as Bombay and Bengal Government Gazettes from 1920 to 1950. 

It is a compilation of data of films submitted for Examination/Certification to Censor Boards by a person or company. 

The data is available on the website https://www.nfai.gov.in.

The film Poona Raided was certified on August 15, 1924, with a recommendation to cut this scene in reel seven. 

According to film historians, the film was probably made with an awareness of anti-imperialist metaphor in tune with the struggle for India’s independence.

This, and other records consist of detailed information like name of the film examined, number of reels, length of the film, name of company or person applying for certification, the name of company or person producing or releasing the film and country of origin. Data also contains the date of examination, number and date of certification issued, in addition to endorsement details.

“These records are historical documents of the early Indian cinema and Indian film industry. I am sure this reference database would be useful to film researchers across the world who are interested in early Indian cinema,” said Prakash Magdum, Director, NFAI.

Blast from the Past
The Volga Boatman, an American silent film produced and directed by legendary filmmaker Cecil B De Mille was refused certification and was prohibited in India by the Bombay Board of Film Censors on the ground that it portrays class hatred, violence, degrading lust and brutality as accompanying the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia.