In a rare, Amitabh Bachchan speaks on 'censorship', 'civil liberties and freedom of expression'

Taking his industry colleagues like actor Shah Rukh Khan, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt in confidence, Bachchan spoke on how the questions on civil liberties are raised "even now".

The 80-year-old actor said, "The 1952 Cinematograph Act set out the structure of censorship as it stands today, upheld by the Film Certification Board.

"Even now, and I'm sure my colleagues on stage would agree, questions are being raised on civil liberties and freedom of expression."

Bachchan's words come amid the frequent #boycott trend which threatens to stall the release of films, mostly Bollywood, by a section of netizens and sometimes politicians citing their contents (read objectionable contents).

In a very recent instance, actor Deepika Padukone's attire in a song from Shah Rukh Khan starrer upcoming Hindi film Pathaan has drawn the ire of Madhya Pradesh minister and the country's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, Narottam Mishra.

If the costumes are not fixed, Mishra has threatened to not allow the film to be screened in the state.

Interestingly, Bachchan's words came in presence of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is the staunch rival of the BJP.