The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has rejected allegations of Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) that Marathi films were certified by persons who did not know the language, a day after its Mumbai office was vandalised by party supporters.
The Information and Broadcasting Ministry today condemned the attack on CBFC office and has taken up the matter with Maharashtra government.
CBFC CEO clarified that its Advisory Panel of 123 members has 47 members whose mother tongue is Marathi.
Almost all the films are certified at the local level by the Advisory Panel, which consist of members drawn from various fields, he said.
CBFC office at Walkeshwar Road in Mumbai was yesterday ransacked allegedly by supporters of MNS which claimed it has no Marathi member on its board.
The CBFC CEO said that only those films, where the producer is not satisfied with the certification granted by the Advisory Panel, are referred to the Central Board for screening.
Even in its board, the CBFC has three members, Deepesh Mehta, Arundhati Nag, as well as the chairperson Leela Samson, who are familiar with Marathi, he said.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has condemned the act of "hooliganism and vandalism" and said that such methods of protest have no place in a democratic and civilised society.
The ministry has also taken up this matter with utmost gravity with the government of Maharashtra and has been assured of strong and deterrent preventive and punitive action.
The CEO further stated that the CBFC enjoys an excellent rapport with the Marathi film industry and has not received any complaint from any quarter regarding the films not being certified judiciously.
Therefore, the allegation of MNS is baseless and motivated, he said.
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