Prasoon Joshi appointed new CBFC chief, Board reconstituted

Government today sacked filmmaker Pahlaj Nihalani as Censor Board chief, replacing him with adman and Bollywood lyricist Prasoon Joshi. It also reconstituted the board , including as it's members actress Vidya Balan , actor turned politician Vani Tripathi Tikoo and filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri. Joining Prasoon Joshi on the Censor Board will be Ms. Gautami Tadimalla, Mr Narendra Kohli, Mr Naresh Chandra Lal, Mr Neil Herbert Nongkynrih, Mr Vivek Agnihotri, Mr Waman Kendre ,Mr T.S. Nagabharana, Mr Ramesh Patange,Ms. Jeevitha Rajasekhar and Mr Mihir Bhuta among others.

In a notification, the Information and Broadcasting ministry said, '' In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Cinematograph Act, 1952 (37 of 1952) read with rule 3 of the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 1983, the Central Government is pleased to appoint Sh. Prasoon Joshi as Chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification in an honorary capacity from 11th August, 2017 for a period of three years or until further orders, whichever is earlier. ''

In another notification announcing the reconstitution of the board, the ministry said, '' In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Cinematograph Act, 1952 (37 of 1952) read with rule 3 of the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 1983, the Central Government is pleased to reconstitute the existing Central Board of Film Certification as follows with immediate effect for a period of three years or until further orders, whichever is earlier. On being appointed as a CBFC member, Bollywood actor Vidya Balan said, “I am very happy to join the CBFC and I hope to fulfill my responsibilities as a member to the best of my abilities. I look forward to this new and exciting phase where our cinema will be allowed to reflect the sensibilities, realities and complexities of the society we are living in today.”