Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Singh Thakur announced the setting up of a regional facilitation office of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) in Chandigarh, with the objective of promoting ease of doing business for filmmakers of the region.
Making this announcement at the closing ceremony of the Chitra Bharati Film Festival in Chandigarh today, Thakur said filmmakers of the region can can get the facility of screening of their films and submission of cuts/modifications, without having to go to either Delhi or Mumbai to get CBFC Certificate for their films. He said, this move will further strengthen the Punjabi film industry.
“Today, India is being viewed as a content hub and we are becoming the preferred country for both shooting and post production for international films. Parallely our own content is getting a lot of praise across the world,” he said.
According to Thakur, every year, more than half of the 2500 films made in the world are made on Indian soil.
“From feature films to documentaries and short films to serials, Indian cinema today is capturing every colour of life on its canvas and making local stories global. It therefore does not matter what language a film is being made in, as long as the content is interesting, it will always have takers,” Thakur said.
“I have great faith that the films that are made in the Punjab region also have great potential. Therefore, the Government has decided to set up a CBFC facilitation office in Chandigarh so that the process of getting certification becomes easier and the process of film completion becomes faster,”Thakur added.
The Minister also spoke about the initiative being taken by the government to make film halls more accessible for specially- abled film fans. The government has already invited comments from stakeholders to firm up a new guideline in this regard so that people with hearing and visual impairment have the opportunity to enjoy a film, like everyone else.
Thakur also touched upon piracy issues and said, “We have recently made very meaningful changes in the Cinematograph Act to prevent film piracy. Today, special nodal officers are being appointed at all our CBFC centres to curb piracy. 12 nodal officers across the country will receive complaints against piracy and give instructions to remove pirated content on digital platforms. Action will be taken within 48 hours of receiving the complaint. Piracy is a big threat not only to the film industry but to the entire world.”
According to reports, the film industry is incurring a loss of Rs 20,000 crore every year due to piracy.