I’ve great passion for films: Neil

A day after Neil A day after Neil  Herbert  Nongkynrih was named among the members of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), the director of the Shillong Chamber Choir tells Patricia Mukhim that he is ready for the new journey.This is a great honour to be in the CBFC, how do you feel at this moment? I had to think a lot before saying yes. After weighing it all out and talking with friends from the film world and people who are well meaning, I decided to take on this responsibility. It is important that we make films which are educative and uplifting for human soul and spirit. I think it’s also important that films touch the lives of the poorest and not cater to only a select audience.I feel I should undertake this new journey with the view to be pro-active in helping to decide what sort of cinema is actually appropriate for a country like ours which is diverse in every sense of the term. I am very much for freedom of expression but this job demands some amount of moral and professional responsibility from my side.Do you have an idea of what this entails?I do have an idea of what it entails since I am from the world of performing arts and I have a clear idea of what filmma-king is all about and what I am required to do as member of the CBFC, having been closely associated with the world of cinema, as director of the Shillong Chamber Choir.You have put Meghalaya and the NE on the map of India and the world. Now is the opportunity to prove yourself in yet another medium. How do you and the Choir feel at this moment?The Choir is excited. If you are young you can get lost with such an appointment. But with the experience I have gained over the years I can maintain a discreet mental balance. Deep down I have great passion for music.  Apart from music, I also have a great passion for films. I watch films with the Choir and I always watch a film critically.  I am conscious of what is being made and how it impacts young and impressionable minds. It’s similar to my music. What I have done in a small scale with the Choir has been taken to a national and global scale.  This is a great achievement for the Choir and this appointment is perhaps another feather on our collective hats.