CBFC Chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani says the board’s office in Bengaluru has just a “handful of members” who are unable to cope with the volume of Kannada films to be seen.
The office of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is short-staffed, and the lack of adequate man-power in the Karnataka branch is taking its toll, the chairperson admitted.
Nihalani said: “We’ve repeatedly told the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (Ministry of I&B) that we need at least six to seven extra members in the advisory committee in Karnataka. We have just a handful of members at the moment who are unable to cope with the volume of Kannada films to be seen. Until we are refurbished, we will continue to struggle with the workload in Karnataka.”
As far as films getting delayed at the censor board is concerned, Nihalani doesn’t deny the allegation.
“What can we do’ Except urge the I & B Ministry to act at the earliest. None of the CBFC’s branches across India is inclined to delay certification. We don’t want producers to suffer losses by such delays. But we can’t help it if just a handful of us are expected to watch three-four films per day.”
By Subhash K. Jha
