ABSTRACT
For a long time, the Indian leadership maintained a contemptuous attitude towards the film industry. Its policies on the film industry stood for its policies on film culture. The sharp difference between an industry and a cultural practice was pointed out only by the young New Cinema filmmakers. The study of various discourses collected through writings in newspapers and film magazines indicates a fascinating and ever-lasting disagreement on what constitutes “good cinema”. The arrival of television, video, and liberal economic reforms did give an impression that the New Cinema may have been a state enterprise. There is a strong need to write more institutional histories of contemporary India, especially of those which have played a major role in constituting the self-perception of independent India. A lot has been written on censorship in the Indian film industry, but a history of CBFC itself has not been attempted.
