CBFC to now certify films directly, without divulging any details to producers informally

The Central Board of Film Certification, under the new chairman Prasoon Joshi, is being placed under a lot of scrutiny from all sides. Following the dramatic expulsion of Pahlaj Nihalani, the CBFC has taken many progressive decisions, to filmmakers’ relief. However, in another development, it is being reported that the body will not be divulging any information regarding a film’s rating before the final certificate is issued. As per DNA, under Joshi’s directive, the committee will now issue the certificate straightaway, without letting the producers and the makers know of the areas of contention, beforehand. [caption id=“attachment_2600634” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Prasoon Joshi. Image from AFP.[/caption] This decision comes as a move to curb unnecessary confusion around a film’s rating. Recently, the CBFC was in the new for passing Andres Muschietti’s film adaptation of Stephen King’s spine-chilling novel  It , with an ‘Adult’ certificate. However, the film had earlier been recommended 12 cuts by the committee, before Joshi restored them in the final stage of clearance. Therefore, the confusion surrounding It led the chairman to take the drastic step. Before Joshi assumed office, the common practice was to inform the producer of the committee’s decision, informally. However, that will not be the case now, as from now on, the producer will only have access to the final certificate. A filmmaker told DNA that this step could have dire consequences since sometimes the makers of the films have just two to three days to incorporate the recommended cuts and ready the film for release. Hence, having no clue of the problematic scenes in the film would give the makers very little time to act, while avoiding any delays.