Dil Raju says new CBFC advisory has made releasing films problematic, Telugu film body to raise concern after Malayalam film industry

Chairman of the Telangana Film Development Corporation Dil Raju spoke to the press about the new Central Board of Film Certification advisory.

Chairman of the Telangana Film Development Corporation (TGFDC) and film producer-distributor Dil Raju held a press conference in Hyderabad on Friday evening to celebrate the success of Ramayana and Scene. He had distributed the Ranbir Kapoor and Suriya films in the Telugu states. When the topic of the new advisory by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) was brought up, here’s how he responded.

Dil Raju says representatives from every film industry will raise concerns about the new CBFC rules.

Dil Raju on new CBFC advisory

When a reporter brought up the new CBFC advisory and pointed out that the Malayalam film bodies had already written a letter about it, Raju agreed and said, “Yes, it’s happening. After the new rules were announced, releasing a film became quite problematic. Our chamber is also preparing a letter to be sent; representations are going out from every state,” revealing that other film industries are also planning to cite concerns.

The producer-distributor then explained why the film chamber had an issue with the new advisory, adding, “It would be better if these things were smoothed out. Now, we have to keep the film ready a month before its release. As we did before, we cannot announce dates beforehand. We have to submit the film a month beforehand, and once they clear it by that date, we can announce it.”

Raju was also the president of the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce (TFCC), a post currently held by Suresh Babu Daggubati.

The new CBFC advisory

New CBFC guidelines for filmmakers were issued in September, and the new advisory was released in October. 18 new members were announced to constitute the board this year, for the first time since 2017. Preity Zinta, Pankaj Tripathi, Suniel Shetty, Pallavi Joshi, Ricky Kej, and Supriya Yarlagadda are among its members. The advisory states that filmmakers must submit the final version of their film, complete with titles, graphics, and sound, for certification. They also stated that the announced title and release dates will not be considered and are subject to change.

Satluj director Honey Trehan stated these new rules ‘underlined the Cowardness & the Dictatorship’ while the Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce and the Film Producers Association objected to them, calling them an unnecessary expansion of the board's powers. Anil Thomas, president of the KFCC, told OnManorama, “There is already considerable intervention from the Censor Board. We cannot allow a situation where it gets ultimate control over film titles as well.” He also called CBFC having a final say on film titles an ‘unnecessary expansion of its powers’.