New Delhi. Filmmaker Pahlaj Nihalani was the chairperson of the Central Bureau of Film Certification from 2015 to 2017. Recently, he has spoken openly about his tenure. Pahlaj Nihalani alleged that before him Sharmila Tagore was the chairperson of the censor board and she had passed a film without any cuts because it was her son Saif Ali Khan’s film.
Pahlaj Nihalani’s tenure as CBFC chairman was surrounded by controversies. Under his leadership, the censor board had suggested making about 100 cuts in the film ‘Udta Punjab’. In an interview to Siddharth Kannan, Pahlaj Nihalani said, ‘I never allowed myself to be pressured by the government. I passed films only on the basis of merit. They did not want the title ‘Udta Punjab’ to be passed and then I threatened to resign. I have no regrets. I did my work with complete honesty. Till date people appreciate my work in CBFC.’
Pahlaj Nihalani accused Sharmila Tagore
Pahlaj Nihalani said, ‘During Sharmila Tagore’s tenure, Saif Ali Khan’s film Omkara was released. That film was passed during that time. Omkara was passed because it had Sharmila Tagore’s son Saif Ali Khan. The board members took bribes to pass some films without any cuts. During that time, guidelines were not followed. During my tenure, I just ensured that the rules were followed.’
Shahrukh Khan agreed with the censor in the trailer
Apart from this, Pahlaj Nihalani also talked about censoring the word intercourse in the trailer of Shahrukh Khan’s ‘Jab Harry Met Sejal’. He said, ‘I talked to Shahrukh Khan about this and he himself said to cut it. I told him to send another version, then he said okay, cut it. He agreed to this. Anyway, there is no obscenity in his films.’
Tags: Entertainment news., saif ali khan, Sharmila Tagore
FIRST PUBLISHED : May 26, 2024, 08:29 IST