Pahlaj Nihalani's CBFC controversies

Since doing away with Pahlaj Nihalani and his ‘sanskari’ ways, the Central Board of Film Certification has turned a new leaf, much to the delight of filmmakers. According to a report in a daily, the board, under instructions from the I & B Ministry, is now to ‘certify’ and ‘not censor’ films until policy decisions are not taken in the presence of the new Chief Prasoon Joshi. The report claims that the board is “not allowed to cut anything” as they will be answerable to the I & B Ministry. It further goes on to say that films with an ‘A’ certificates can now probably get away with anything and also pointed out that films which previously attained ‘U/A’ certificates, now fit in the ‘U’ certification category. One film that is enjoying these beneficiaries is director Rajat S Mukherjee’s political drama ‘Umeed’. The film which reportedly revolves around drug tests performed on children contains a number of graphic scenes and also has a shot of a model exposing her nipples under a bikini. The film has been given the clear with only one cut of a shot with the image of Indira Gandhi.

Ex-CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani has been replaced by lyricist and screenwriter Prasoon Joshi for being ‘power hungry’, old-fashioned and arrogant. However, the former has a different story to tell. Pahlaj revealed how the post of the CBFC chief is an honorary one and he shelled more than Rs 10 lakh from his own pocket for the office. He shared how he would bring his own mineral water, pay for his own petrol, use his own car despite all the facilities being available. He added how he even paid Rs 3.5 lakh for the inaugural ceremony of the new CBFC office as the function was organized on a short notice and there was no time for filing a tender. Nihalani also pointed out while he never took any days off and pointed out the new chief is yet to begin work. He also informed that he is yet to be officially informed by the government about being relieved of his duties.

The government on Friday replaced Pahlaj Nihalani with songwriter-poet Prasoon Joshi as the Chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). Nihalani has been embroiled in controversies since his appointment as the chief of the 23-member board in January 2015. From drawing flak for his prudish views to ordering numerous cuts of film scenes and dialogues and even banning the release of a few films, let's look back at the famous controversies he has been embroiled in.

Pahlaj Nihalani banned 'Un-Freedom', a film by Raj Kumar Amit which tells a story of a liberal Muslim girl who gets kidnapped by terrorists and which simultaneously follows a parallel story of a lesbian relationship. Filmmakers like Vikram Bhatt, Sanjay Gupta and Hansal Mehta spoke out against this and condemned such actions.

Fellow CBFC member Ashoke Pandit called it a "sad event" as this decision was taken without the board's consent.

Pahlaj Nihalani stirred up a storm when he trimmed a kissing scene from the 'James Bond' film 'Spectre'. The CBFC and its chief had to brave a wave of criticism from fans of the franchise, the movie going audience, members of the film industry and also the media. Nihalani raised many eyebrows when he confessed in an interview that he had not watched the film (or the Bond franchise), but insisted that the cuts were made according to the "rules".

Pahlaj Nihalani, who earned the tag - 'sanskari' - for trimming kissing scenes and demanding verbal cuts in films, got into trouble for passing the trailers and adult-comedy movies like 'Mastizaade' and 'Kya Kool Hai Hum 3'. According to reports, these movies had a lot of vulgarity in their scenes and dialogues, but they were let off scot-free.

When quizzed about it, he reportedly said that the board did it to shed its 'sanskari' image. He even went on to say that the board faces backlashes whether or not they pass or cut down objectionable content.

The Censor Board headed by Pahlaj Nihalani made headlines asked for demanding an estimated 94 cuts in the film 'Udta Punjab', starring Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor and Diljit Dosanjh. The demand had the entire film industry and fans up in arms against the Chief. While fans and movie lovers demanded his replacement, filmmakers called this shocking move a curb on their 'freedom of expression'. The Bombay High Court had to step in and motion the CBFC to pass the film with just one cut and new certificates to be given in two days.

The CBFC led by Pahlaj Nihalani refused to certify the internationally acclaimed film 'Lipstick Under My Burkha'.

According to reports, the board refused to pass the film as it was lady oriented, had a number of sexual scenes, audio pornography and spoke about a particular section of the society. However, the director Alankrita Shrivastava took this matter to Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) which ordered the board to give the film an 'A' certificate and clear it for release. The film was released on 21 July 2017.

Pahlaj Nihalani expressed his discontent over the use of word 'intercourse' in the second trailer of Shah Rukh Khan's film 'Jab Harry Met Sejal'. He said the trailer had not been censored and that it had been broadcasted on television channels.

However, after facing a backlash from all the quarters, he said in an interview, "I want 1 lakh votes and I want to see that India has changed and Indian families want their 12-year-old kids to understand the meaning of this word (intercourse)." Adding to this he said, "I'd accept votes only from people who are married and above the age of 36."