New CBFC CEO Rakesh Kumar aims to clear a backlog of over 200 films within a fortnight
Rakesh Kumar took over as the new CBFC CEO on Monday. He has come in place of Pankaja Thakur, who headed CBFC for almost three years. As part of his new stint, he will be meeting members of the film industry today afternoon.
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Chairperson Leela Samson
On the agenda is tackling Censor Board-related problems being faced by the film industry; Kumar says that there are over 200 films still awaiting video certification.
Rakesh Kumar has replaced Pankaja Thakur (above) as the CBFC CEO
“We will be clearing these films within a fortnight. As our chairperson Leela Samson pointed out, this is our New Year’s gift to the industry,” he says, adding that all centres will play a crucial role in clearing these films.
He explains that they have already distributed films to all their centres. “We have also called some committee members to Mumbai to finish the pending work,” he says. Some of the films awaiting video certification include Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur, Race 2, Matrubhoomi A Nation without Women, D-Day and Grant Masti.
Ask him if Grand Masti will sail through and Kumar remains non-committal. “I will be addressing the issues of vulgarity in cinema today; it’s something I plan to take a close look at,” he asserts.
And what does he have to say about filmmaker Anurag Kashyap filing a PIL against the use of a disclaimer in the smoking scenes of his film, Ugly? Kumar replies that since the matter is subjudice, he won’t be able to comment on it. “However, I should point out that this initiative by the health ministry has helped increase awareness about the ill-effects of smoking,” he says.
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