Mysuru: Actor and theatre person Arundhati Nag has justified her resignation from the Censor Board saying the decision by the Film Certification?Appellate Tribunal to clear the movie, “Messenger of God”, was an “insult” to the members of the board.

She said on Sunday that 10-12 persons, who had dedicated their life to arts and cinema were insulted by the decision, forcing them to resign en masse. “The government has to become more responsible when it comes to these issues,” she said.

If a Central Board of Film Certification has been appointed by the government, it should respect the decisions made by the body, she said.

It can be recalled that Leela Samson had resigned as the chairperson of the board, following the alleged interference by the Ministry for Information and Broadcasting, which overruled the decision of the board and allowed screening of the movie. This also prompted 12 other members of the board to tender their resignations.

Nag stressed that the government should avoid making political appointments to the board.
“We should keep the arts clean. The Board cannot be under the influence of a ‘patron’, be it a political party or a corporate entity,” she added.