Prasoon Joshi took over as the new CBFC chief after Pahlaj Nihalani was asked to quit his post. There were reports that the latter gained a bad reputation due to the number of scenes he censored from films – and the regressive reasons behind chopping them. Some of the scenes edited were pivotal to the plot, and therefore several producers were unhappy with the censor board. As per rumours, it was finally Ekta Kapoor who pushed for the termination of his post.
Apart from Prasoon, the renewed board consists of Vidya Balan, Gautami Tadimalla, Narendra Kohli, Naresh Chandra Lal, Neil Herbert Nongkynrih and Vivek Agnihotri. As happy as we are about the end of sanskari rule in cinema, recent reports suggest that the board banned the first film they received for certification. According to DNA, a Punjabi film Toofan Singh was rejected & banned on the basis of too much violence. The source was quoted saying:
Toofan Singh is a terrorist, who goes on a rampage killing corrupt cops and politicians. And they’ve compared him to Bhagat Singh. The film is brutal and anarchic. We couldn’t empathise with its message of brute power, let alone grant it a censor certificate.
Still a better reason than calling a film too “women oriented”, we say! Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!