‘I’m not a big man, I’m a small entity’

Poet and lyricist Prasoon Joshi was surprised, not at being appointed the new chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), but on rather how quickly it took place.

“I had given my consent to this but then all this has happened so fast. I am not a big man. I am a small entity. There are a lot of big people who will be around me and I am lucky that I know a lot of people who think well and for the good of the film industry,” he says.

Ask him how he plans to discharge his duties and he seems to have the right intentions but is honest about his awareness of the work involved.

“I really do not know how this work is done, but I do understand that it has to be done and done well. I know what the work is in short, but I need to understand the processes. I want to try and make as much difference as I can with good intent. I need to know about the nitty gritties. I am still waiting to know when I am supposed to take over,” he admits.

Joshi understands that the film industry wants much better from a man who has taken over from the much hated Pahlaj Scissorhands Nihalani who has taken on many big films and filmmakers.

“I am happy that there are a lot of expectations. I

respect the film industry a lot. I will try to take the advice of people who have to offer good advice. All the people who can join will make a difference. This work has to be done together. There has to be some sort of understanding that this is the job to be done and I would want it to be looked at constructively and done to the best of our abilities. I have never shied away from taking responsibilities till date,” he says. Tell Joshi that the job of the CBFC head is to certify and not to censor and he offers this. “It is too early for me to answer a lot of questions. I will answer them once I get a hold of things. I am not someone who will sit like an armchair intellectual and just comment on things. I need to take things in my hands like how a man, an artist and a thinking person can do and deliver. A man can only try his best. I will use my experience as well as my understanding in the best way possible to discharge my duties. But then, I am a sensitive person and I will want to think about others,” he signs off.

I am not someone who will sit like an armchair intellectual and just comment on things