Mumbai: The newly appointed Central Board of Film Certification chief, Prasoon Joshi, called his first meeting with the new members of the board, where they discussed about the future of film censorship in India.

The meeting on Monday was attended by board members Gautami Tadimalla, Jeevitha Rajashekar, Mihir Bhuta, Naresh Chandra Lal, Neil Scott Nongkynrih, Ramesh Patnage, TS Nagabharna, Vani Tripathi Tikoo, Vidya Balan, Vivek Agnihotri and Waman Kendre. Also present was the CEO Anurag Shrivastava.  

"It was important to have this meeting as early as possible for the Board members to know each other and exchange valuable ideas. The Board comprises of accomplished people and it was enriching to have meaningful discussions around the functioning of the body.  

"The way forward will draw from the collective wisdom and experience of this group. We got a lot of valuable insights from these interactions and (I) am thankful to all the Board members for being focused with an intricate approach. The purpose is clearly to make things better for all stakeholders where there is mutual respect and collaboration," Joshi said in a statement.  

The CBFC has also decided to meet the industry people and take their inputs to make the certification process smooth.   "Our first meeting was a great first step in the right direction towards understanding our role as the board and determining our approach. It was reassuring to know we are all on the same page," Balan said.   Joshi replaced Pahlaj Nihalani as the CBFC chief last month. PTI