Amid the uncertainty surrounding the future of Central Board of Film Certification chairman Pahlaj Nihalani over his tiff with the film industry on the issue of censorship, the statutory board’s members have been asked by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to interact more with the industry.
This comes amid a strong pitch by industry members for the removal of Mr. Nihalani over what they call his autocratic ways in stifling creative freedom. Mr. Nihalani had controversially introduced a list of “cuss words” to be banned from films making him unpopular with artists and viewers alike.
In a meeting held with board members on Tuesday, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore “outlined the need to have a regular forum of interaction of Board with the industry.” Mr. Rathore also “endorsed the idea to conduct an all India survey on important issues relating to CBFC by engaging a professional agency," CBFC's Chief Executive Officer Shravan Kumar told The Hindu.
The members, in turn, shared their experiences with Mr. Rathore and made various suggestions to improve the system of certification. Mr. Rathore assured them of his support in strengthening and streamlining the system including the online system.
The absence of Mr. Nihalani from two consecutive meetings—first a meeting with members of the film industry on Monday; then a meeting with Mr. Rathore and other board members on Tuesday—has fuelled speculations that he could soon be out. Mr. Nihalani, however, said he stayed away due to illness.
--
