All eyes on new chief

The changes at the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) are being rejoiced by the film industry. Many actors and directors have come forward to congratulate Prasoon Joshi for being the newly appointed CBFC chief. However, the expectations from Joshi are high and it remains to be seen on how well he will shape up to be in this role. 

“While Joshi is a wise person, CBFC is a kajal ki kothri from where no one can come out without any stains. So, let’s see for how long Joshi manages to keep his spotless reputation intact,” says director Avinash Das.

He adds, “Prasoon is a wise and sensitive man. It is a great thing that he is an artist and a poet too. I feel that Pahlaj Nihalani didn’t have much knowledge about either of the subjects. Also, Joshi is related to the ad world and hence, it is a great choice. Had they elected someone like Gajendra Chauhan again, it would have been another disaster. I also feel that the government is running out of time before the next elections which might be why this step was taken. They have just saved themselves as people were not happy. There was a growing sense of unsatisfaction. People felt that the party that is winning is lacking in wisdom.” 

The director feels that a progressive way ahead would be to move away from the politics of cuts. “It is always better to focus on certifications than on cuts,” he says. 

Dia Mirza

Actress and producer, Dia Mirza also has high hopes from Joshi and holds him in high regard. She says, “I think that it’s a good decision. I have admired the works of Mr Joshi since a long time. I have my highest regards for him and his creative talent. I strongly hope and wish that he will achieve what we have not achieved in the past few years in terms of cinema, certifications and more. Let’s see what he has in store for us as an industry.”  

Ashwini Chaudhary, General Secretary IFTDA is also happy about the new appointment. “The sacking of Nihalani is a welcome first step. We are patting our back because as filmmakers we have suffered at his indiscriminate, self-created codes of censorship for a long time. We wanted a sensitive, updated, forward-thinking replacement who understands the difference between certification and imposition of redundant opinions. Prasoon is broad-minded and we hope acche din are here for the film industry as far as censorship is concerned,” he adds.