Film industry hails Benegal’s CBFC appointment

NEW DELHI: The film industry on Friday welcomed the move by the information and broad casting ministry to constitute a panel under veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal to give recom mendations for restructuring the censor board, albeit with a touch of caution.

Speaking to HT, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt said, “The ques tion is how long the committee will take to suggest changes Even in the earlier government a lot of recommendations were made, but what happened?”

“I would not be cynical and say nothing will come out of this I did not even prejudge Pahlaj Nihalani before he showed his bizarre side. So, I am not going prejudge the government’s step,” he added.

Others were more vocal in their support.

Actor Anupam Kher called the ministry’s move “fabulous” and opined that the people in the committee are the best suited for the job.

“There is no one better than Shyam Benegal to decide the future of Indian cinema. It is a fabulous step. They have chosen people who are not only good in their field, but are social aware and know what is happening in the country as well,” he said.

Producer Pritish Nandy also supported the information and broadcasting ministry’s decision. “I am sure this will lead the censor board in the positive direction. I believe that the censor board should go back to certification board and now censoring. No one can censor in a democracy,” he said.

Meanwhile, independent film maker Onir said that Benegal would interact not just with the mainstream cinema but with independent filmmakers as well.