Tamil actor-producer Vishal has recently made headlines by accusing the Central Board Of Film Certification (CBFC) in Mumbai of demanding a bribe amounting to Rs 6.5 lakh. In response to Vishal's allegations, the CBFC issued a statement on Friday, asserting their strong stance against corruption. They emphasized having zero tolerance for such practices and vowed to take immediate action against anyone found involved.
The statement read, It has been noticed that despite the online certification system i.e. E-Cinepramaan in place and regular updates on new system improvements for the film producers/applicants, they still choose to apply through intermediaries or agents. This goes against the objective of eliminating third-party involvement in the certification process.
With the implementation of aggressive digitization, complete process automation, and emphasis on minimal human intervention, the interference of intermediaries/agents has come down significantly however, the practice still exists in some regions which is defeating the purpose of transparency and smooth functioning of the certification process.
Please do not deal with any intermediary or third-party agent. The producers/filmmakers are further cautioned that they should not encourage any third-party agents/ intermediaries. On the contrary, if any third party is claiming they represent CBFC and are demanding any sum of amount, please report it immediately to CBFC at ceo.cbfc@nic.in, romum.cbfc@nic.in
However, we have taken note of the allegations being reported very seriously and CBFC has zero tolerance for corruption. Also, the strictest action will be taken against anyone found involved and we shall get into the root cause. Meanwhile, any attempt to malign the image of CBFC will not be tolerated.
The producers/filmmakers are hereby requested to apply their films well in advance to meet their scheduled release. However, in extreme cases of urgency, the producers/filmmakers may approach the higher officials at CBFC along with a written request and reasonable grounds for an early examination which may be entertained on a merit basis by taking details from our website and/or on ceo.cbfc@nic.in.
Earlier today, in an interview, Vishal also revealed that he will be releasing a voice note as evidence for clarity.