Smriti Irani sacks over 20 members from IFFI review committee months away from film festival

A number of developments have taken place since the appointment of Smriti Irani as the Union Information and Broadcasting Minister, the most notable being the sacking of former Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chief Pahlaj Nihalani. [caption id=“attachment_3059148” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Smriti Irani. PTI[/caption] Irani has decided to further shake things up as she has reportedly removed over 20 members of the film preview and steering committee of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI). The Wire reports that with the film festival merely three months away, Irani has sought replacement of members of the film preview committee, who were appointed by the former I&B Minister and the new Vice President of India Venkaiah Naidu. The same report states that the film preview committee has already screened over 150 entries given that the festival is just round the corner. However, Irani has used her newfound authority to dismantle the committee and appoint members “of her choice” instead. The same report states that the members removed by Irani include Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) member from New Delhi, Rekha Gupta who is a former CBFC member and a current member of Sanskar Bharti, the cultural wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). All these members had already been sent appointment letters which now stand rescinded. The IFFI will be held from 20 to 28 November in Goa.