That's not the only thing agitating the Ministry, which insists that this is not the first time a film has been referred to the CBFC for re-examination. The most recent case was of Gulzar's Maachis. The Ministry referred it to the CBFC under Section 32 of the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 1983, after the BJP's K R Malkani said the movie ``glamorised terrorism''. The review committee, however, found nothing objectionable in Maachis. Other films that have been sent back by the Ministry underSection 32 include Andaz (Hindi), Indu (Tamil), In The Cold Of The Night (English), and Pyar Ka Saudagar (Hindi).

The Hindi version of Fire was submitted to the CBFC on August 21 and cleared on August 24, though there was a weekend in between. The panel that examined the film could not recommend any visual cuts that were different from the English version (which had been cleared with an `Adult' certificate on June 8) because of existing guidelines. The Ministry has decided to re-examine these guidelines, which make no distinction between the English and regional audiences.

Even then, says the official, the five-member examining committee of the CBFC (comprising N Barua, Mamata Ranade, Basu Chatterjee, Kishore Valicha and N M Ahuja) was not unanimous. Two wanted to cut out shots of the bare behind of the servant in Fire called Mundu (played by Ranjit Chowdhury). They also wanted to cut a shot of the bare breasts of the character played by Nandita Das. While thosecould not be allowed because of the stipulation against visual cuts, the examining committee also gave up on its objection to the word randi (whore) used by Kulbhushan Kharbanda's character.

While the report of the examining committee is not even typed, points out the official, the CBFC was a little more organised when it viewed the English version of Fire (submitted on May 13). The dissenting member of that five-member panel recommended the names of the two lesbian characters be changed from Radha and Sita because of ``religious connotations'' and had also wanted an investigation into whether ``Mundu was masturbating to the accompaniment of Ramayana on the television''. When it was found that Mundu was not watching Ramayana, the cut was waived. Sita, Nandita Das's name in the movie, was changed to Nita voluntarily by the producer.