Nihalani right for once, The Jungle Book's U/A certificate justified

Life has not been easy for Pahlaj Nihalani since he took over as the chairperson of India's Censor Board of Film Certification. And much of it has been his own doing - from the silly video he made called Mera Desh Mahaan, where he showed the superpowers of Modi kaka, to his shortening the kissing sequence in last year's James Bond film Spectre.

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So when Nihalani defended his Board's decision to give U/A certificate to Disney's latest film The Jungle Book, social media and commentators jumped at the news ridiculing and mocking the chairperson. Nihalani is an easy target and his statement supporting the Board's decision - that the 3D effects in the film are "scary" did not help him.

"Please don't go by the reputation of the book," Nihalani said to reporters, most of whom had not seen film. But they rejoiced at the chance to ridicule him, especially after he added: "It's not just the story that determines certification. It's the overall presentation, the packaging and most important of all, the visual effects used to tell the story. In The Jungle Book, the animals jumping at the audience in 3D is startling."

I have to say most times I have not agreed with Nihalani and I have been quite vocal against him, his views and his Censor Board. But in this instance he is right.

Jon Favreau's The Jungle Book with the Indian American kid Neel Sethi in the lead as Mowgli, the man cub and a large ensemble cast of Hollywood A-list actors - Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Bill Murray, Christopher Walken and Scarlett Johansson is utterly delightful and full of thrills. It is charming and often quite funny. Murray's Baloo in the actor's deadpan voice and then singing "Bare Necessities" as he floats on a river is pure cinematic fun. But at times, The Jungle Book is also somewhat scary.

Idris Elba lends his voice to the menacing and a very real-looking Shere Khan - the Bengal tiger who is set on capturing Mowgli. Between the amazing CGI work done by Favreau's team, the 3D imagery and the Dolby Atmos sound design, Shere Khan's presence can be quite unnerving (and also a lot of fun), especially when he leaps at Mowgli or Bagheera, the leopard (Kingsley) or just roars.

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This may sound embarrassing but even as an adult I was startled (I should not say scared) each time Shere Khan made a sudden appearance on the screen. So I am sure Shere Khan would be totally frightening for young kids - five years and younger. And warning parents, advising them about some frightening scenes in the film is perhaps the only responsible and logical thing Nihalani has done in his brief one-year long career as the head of the Censor Board.

Also by giving the film a U/A certificate Nihalani and CBFC are not banning the film or denying children from seeing. It is up to each parent to make that decision. Nihalani is not making that decision for all the parents of India.

But Nihalani is not alone in making such a decision. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA)'s advisory board gave The Jungle Book a PG rating, which is guidance to parents suggesting that some materials may not be suitable for young children. In explaining the PG rating for The Jungle Book the MPAA said it was given "for some scary action and peril." It added, "Some scenes may frighten young children."

And it is not just the US certification board. Canada has a different rating board for each province. And three out of five boards gave the film a PG rating, while two decided on a G for General Audience. But here is what the respective boards said about the film: "May Frighten Young Children" (British Columbia); "Frightening Scenes" (Manitoba); "Frightening Scenes, Not Recommended for Young Children" (Ontario); and "Not Recommended for Young Children" (Quebec). The film also got PG ratings in Ireland and the UK. In Norway, the film is recommended for kids who are nine years or older.

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To be fair to Nihalani, his options are limited. India only has three levels of ratings - U, U/A and A. As compared to that the US had four levels - G, PG, PG-13 and R. In the US, the MPAA can have a slightly more nuanced rating option, especially between the PG and PG-13. In India, if the film is not suitable for a Universal audience then the next option is to give it a U/A rating.

The Jungle Book case makes it clear that there is a need for a governmental review of India film censorship rating system. There is already one committee headed by Shyam Benegal looking into larger film censorship related issues. So hopefully something good will come out of Nihalani's right decision.