Censor board denies charges on Marathi film certification

Mumbai, Nov 15 (IANS) A day after its office here was ransacked allegedly by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) supporters, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) Tuesday denied the party's charge that Marathi films were being certified by people who did not know the language.

CBFC clarified that out of its advisory panel of 123 members, 47 had Marathi as their mother tongue.

'Almost all the films are certified at the local level by the advisory panel, which consist of members drawn from various fields,' the board said in a statement.

'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,' it added.

Stating that CBFC enjoys an excellent rapport with the Marathi film industry and has not received any complaint regarding films not being certified judiciously, CBFC officials said that MNS allegations were baseless and motivated.