With the number of film productions rising each year and the delay in censor certification, the Gujarati film producers have now demanded a separate
regional censor
board in Gujarat as they have to travel to Mumbai to get their films certified.
ETimes contacted
Hitu Kanodia
, who was invited by the
Producers Association
to discuss the issue with the authorities.
He confirmed, "Yes, it is indeed true, and I was invited by the producer body to discuss the same." The quality and number of Gujarati films are increasing and are also winning National and Academy Awards. Gujarati, Rajasthani, Kutchi, and Sindhi-language filmmakers have to rush to Mumbai for censorship, wasting valuable time and huge money.
Kanodia added, "Most of the producers felt that they wasted a lot of time and money to get censorship certification, and most of the time there is so much backlog that films get delayed as certification takes time and all the expenses are borne by the producers themselves."
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Gujarat produces over 100 films a year, and quite a few of them have been winning awards nationally and internationally. The producers now want
CBFC
's regional and local offices, Committees in the main cities of Gujarat.
Kanodia informed as he concluded, "We are planning to take a delegation to the state government and the
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
to put our case forward."