Uttarakhand's Himalayan landscapes and living folk traditions took centre stage on Thursday, 12 November 2026, when Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami hosted Prasoon Joshi — Chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), celebrated lyricist, poet, and Padma Shri awardee — at the Chief Minister's official residence in Dehradun.

The meeting, shared by CM Dhami on X, centred on two interlocking ambitions: preserving and promoting Uttarakhand's rich folk culture and arts, and accelerating the state's growing reputation as a film-shooting destination. As Dhami's post put it, the conversation covered 'sanrakshan-samvardhan' (conservation and promotion) of regional culture alongside 'creating new opportunities' in an environment that is already rapidly becoming film-friendly.

Prasoon Joshi's role and the CBFC connection

Prasoon Joshi has led the Central Board of Film Certification since his appointment in 2017. The CBFC is a statutory body under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting responsible for certifying films for public exhibition across India. Beyond his regulatory role, Joshi carries significant cultural weight — his credentials as a lyricist, ad-man, and poet make him a natural bridge between cinema's creative and policy worlds, and his Padma Shri recognition underlines that standing.

That combination makes the visit more than a courtesy call. A CBFC chairman meeting a state chief minister opens the conversation toward how content regulation, regional language film promotion, and state-level cultural documentation can reinforce each other.

Uttarakhand's film-destination push

Indian states have been competing intensely to attract film crews, knowing that a single high-profile production can unlock sustained tourism and global visibility. Uttarakhand already holds a natural advantage — snow peaks, dense forests, ancient temples, and terraced villages that double as ready-made sets. The state has been building on that edge through location facilitation and cultural branding, and Thursday's discussion signals a fresh push to make the ecosystem 'more empowered and effective,' in the CM's own framing.

Underlying the film agenda is the quieter, equally important question of cultural preservation. Uttarakhand's Kumaoni and Garhwali folk traditions — music, dance, craft — face the same erosion pressures as indigenous cultures everywhere. Channelling cinema's reach to document and amplify those traditions is an increasingly popular policy lever, and a figure like Joshi, rooted in the craft of words and storytelling, is well-placed to help shape that direction.

What the state-centre conversation signals

Meetings like this one reflect a broader pattern of state governments working the centre's cultural and media institutions to carve out competitive advantage. No specific policy commitment emerged from Thursday's exchange — at least none announced publicly — but the alignment of a BJP chief minister with a CBFC chairman appointed during the BJP-led central government points to a coordinated cultural-economy strategy rather than a one-off courtesy.

Watch for follow-up announcements: a state film incentive policy, a folk-culture documentation project with CBFC guidance, or a dedicated Uttarakhand pavilion at an upcoming film market could all be downstream of exactly this kind of groundwork.

Uttarakhand has the scenery. It has the stories. The question now is whether Thursday's conversation translates into the institutional architecture to turn both into lasting screen presence — and lasting cultural memory.