New Delhi: Taking a serious view on the explicit scenes in numerous music videos aired on various television channels, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has decided to put its foot down and act tough against them.

"The CBFC takes a serious view with many of these music videos, primarily of private albums, showing scenes not conforming to the stipulated standards. We have prepared a report enlisting steps to stop them from being aired and take action," CBFC chief Anupam Kher said.

He said that technically the music videos should obtain a CBFC certification before going on air. But they escape this with ease as most of the channels showing them are aired from outside India.

Pointing to the rampant prevalence of such videos, Kher said as many as 90 per cent of them were on air without taking any clearance from the CBFC.

"It is a serious situation and we have approached the Information and Broadcasting Ministry in this connection," Kher said.

Though maintaining that the CBFC was not an enforcement agency but only a certification body, he said action should be taken against both the director of the music video concerned as well as the channels airing them. "We would like them to obtain a 'U Certificate' before going on air," Kher said.

"Since a majority of them do not do so, we have to do something about it," he said.

Kher also said that the CBFC has written to various channels to do self-censorship.

The indecent portrayal of women in music videos has also been criticised by various women organisations, including the National Commission for Women.

The CBFC is, of late, talking tough on the issue. This can be gauged by the way it has gone ahead and engaged private detective agencies to monitor whether cinema halls are screening pornographic movies or else showing movies without the deletions mandated by it.