Hindi
CBFC set to become more liberal
NEW DELHI: Even as it wants the government to approve a late-night slot for adult-rated films on satellite television, the Central Board of Film Certification has asked the Information and Broadcasting Ministry (I&B Ministry) to amend the existing Cinematograph Act 1952 and introducing more certification categories such as UA-15 (nobody under 15 can watch the film) as opposed to the broader and the often-violated UA (universal viewing in the presence of an adult).
In a statement issued by eminent danseuse and CBFC Chairperson Leela Samson, members should be debarred from serving more than two consecutive terms.
The statement issued after a meeting with senior officials in the Ministry including Joint Secretary (Films) Raghvendra Singh, Samson said cine-literate members who have been recommended by the CBFC chairperson should be taken on the examining committee’s advisory panel, the first set of people that certifies films.
A Ministry official told indiantelevision.com that it would examine the recommendations and take an early decision as it was keen to move the amendments to the 1952 Act and has already placed a version of the amendments on the website of the Ministry.
However, the chances of any changes are unlikely in the immediate future since the election code may come into force and in any case the Government is keen to pass some anti-corruption bills in the coming session.
She said the CBFC delegation told the Ministry officials that the recommendations should be taken “seriously so that we can have more cinema savvy and informed people who view and certify films.”
Another recommendation is for organising workshops to guide new advisory panel members in the process of certification.
Samson said the aim of the meeting was to urge a more progressive attitude towards certifying films in India, moving away from the concept of censorship to that of certification.
She said the meeting had gone over “some radical recommendations” that were “likely to see far-reaching changes in the way films are certified” if accepted and implemented.
The immediate reason for the meeting – which was held even as the Ministry is giving a final shape to the amendments to the 2952 Act – appears to be the recent suggestions by new CBFC chief executive officer Rakesh Kumar for stricter censorship. This had led to several statements from different quarters and led to some tension between the Board and some conservative members of an examining committee.
“This Board has always interpreted certification guidelines in the most sensitive, liberal and progressive way, reflecting the rapidly maturing sensibilities of our audiences,” she said in the statement. “However, several roadblocks have prevented it from implementing this changed outlook. To resolve this situation, we have today given a list of recommendations to the Ministry.”
She said censorship must be replaced with certification, and the Board’s job is to give the film its appropriate certificate rather than suggest cuts.
Her opponents and some private litigants have filed public interest litigations in various courts against the Board and believe that CBFC must act as the custodian of public morality and must, if necessary, trim scenes of sex, violence, profanity and vulgarity.
Earlier, the Board had initiated a few measures to make the transition towards certification, such as organising state-level film orientation workshops and a festival titled Cut Uncut to discuss the history and ramifications of censorship.
Within the Board, the move towards certification, which is distinct from censorship, has resulted in the contentious decision to certify films with a UA or an Adults only certificate with either zero or minimal cuts. But this has led to some controversy.
Observers also said that a lot would depend on the government that will come into power after the elections as some members were political appointees.
A spokesperson for the Film Federation of India said on phone from Mumbai that the industry was in favour of a more liberal form of certification, particularly in view of the new media.
In a music industry that often rewards speed, spectacle, and instant recall, Navjot Ahuja’s journey feels refreshingly different. His story is not built on noise. It is built on patience, discipline, emotional honesty, and a quiet commitment to becoming better with every passing year. After 14 years of struggle, learning, performing, and writing, Navjot stands today as an artist whose success has not changed his centre. If anything, it has only made his purpose clearer.
For Navjot, music has never been about chasing fame alone. It has always been about expression. It is about writing more truthfully, singing more skillfully, understanding himself more deeply, and becoming a kinder human being in the process. That rare clarity is what gives his journey its beauty.
Where It All Began: A Writer Before a Singer
Indian singer and songwriter Navjot Ahuja’s musical journey began in the most familiar of places: school assemblies. But even then, what was growing inside him was not only the desire to sing. It was the need to write.
Long before he saw himself as a performer, he had already discovered the emotional release that writing offered him. For Navjot, words became the first true channel for feeling. Songwriting came before singing because writing was the only way he could let emotions flow through him fully. That inner pull shaped his artistic identity early on.
Like many young musicians, he sharpened his craft by creating renditions of popular songs.
Those experiments became his training ground. But the turning point came in 2012, when he wrote his first original song. That moment did not just mark the beginning of songwriting. It marked the beginning of self-definition.
A Calling He Did Not Chase, But Accepted
What makes the latest Indian singer-songwriter Navjot’s story especially compelling is the way he describes his relationship with music. He does not frame it as a career he aggressively pursued. In his own understanding, music was not something he chose. It was something that chose him.
There was a time when he imagined a very different future for himself. He wanted to become a successful engineer, like many young people shaped by ambition and conventional expectations. But life had a different script waiting for him. During his college years, around 2021, music entered his life professionally and began taking a firmer shape.
That shift was not driven by image-building or industry ambition. It came from acceptance. Navjot embraced the fact that music had claimed him in a way no other path could. That sense of surrender continues to define the artist he is today.
An Artist Guided by Instinct, Not Influence
Unlike many singers who speak openly about idols, icons, and musical role models, Navjot’s creative world is built differently. He does not believe his music comes from imitation or inherited influence. He listens inward.
He has never considered himself shaped by ideals in the traditional sense. In fact, he admits that he does not particularly enjoy listening to songs, especially his own. His decisions as a songwriter and singer come from instinct. He writes what feels right. He trusts what his inner voice tells him. He positions his music according to what he honestly believes in, not what trends demand.
That creative independence gives his work a distinct emotional sincerity. His songs do not feel calculated. They feel alive.
The Long Years of Invisible Struggle
Every artist carries a chapter of struggle, and Navjot’s was long, demanding, and deeply formative. One of the biggest challenges he faced was building continuity as the best new indian singer songwriter in an era where musical collaboration is increasingly fluid.
For emerging singers, especially those trying to build with a band, consistency can be difficult. Instrumentalists today have more opportunities than ever to freelance and perform with multiple artists. While that growth is positive and well deserved, it can make things harder for singers who are still trying to establish a steady team and sound around their work.
For Navjot, one of the most difficult phases came during 2021 and 2022, when he was doing club shows almost every day. It was a period of relentless performance, but not always personal fulfillment. He was largely singing covers because clubs were not open to original songs that audiences did not yet know.
For a new Indian singer and songwriter, that can be a painful compromise. To perform constantly and still not have the freedom to share your own voice requires not just resilience, but restraint.
“Khat” and the Grace of Staying Unchanged
After 14 years of effort, Navjot’s new love song Khat became a defining milestone. Professionally, he acknowledges that the song changed how society viewed him as a musician. It strengthened his place in the public eye and altered his standing in meaningful ways.
Yet personally, he remains unchanged.
That is perhaps the most striking part of his story. Navjot says his routine is still the same. His calm is still the same. His writing process is still the same. He does not want success or failure to interfere with the purity of his art. For him, emotional detachment from public outcomes is essential because the moment an artist becomes too attached to validation, the writing begins to shift.
His joy comes not from numbers, but from the attempt. If he has tried to improve his skill today, if he has written his heart out more honestly than before, then he is at peace.
Growth, Not Glory, Remains the Real Goal
Even now, Navjot is not consumed by labels such as singles artist, performer, or digital success story. His focus remains deeply personal. He wants to sing better. He wants to play instruments better. He wants to understand himself more. And he wants to become a kinder person.
That is what makes Navjot Ahuja’s journey so moving. It is not simply the story of a musician finding recognition. It is the story of an artist who continues to grow inward, even as the world begins to look outward at him. In an age obsessed with applause, Navjot reminds us that the most meaningful success often begins in silence, honesty, and the courage to remain true to oneself.
