Film Industry demands Censor Board Chief Pahlaj Nihalani’s ouster over his staunch stance against vulgarity!

After Leela Samson, Chairperson of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) quit the board tired of the diktats of Central Government, it seems it’s time for the newly elected CBFC Chairman Pahlaj Nihalani’s to bid adieu because the film fraternity is up in arms to Nihalani’s staunch stance against vulgarity and abusive language in Bollywood. 

After Pahlaj Nihalani took a strong stand against Anushka Sharma’s film NH10 and ruthlessly deleted the cuss words in the movie, few members in the board have raised yet brows and have termed Nihalani to be autocratic and tyrannical. 

Ashoke Pandit, a board member has attacked Nihalani in severest words. In a Facebook post Pandit wrote, “From the day this man (Nihalini) has taken the reins of the board, the CBFC resembles like a wild horse gone amok. His ridiculous diktats and autocratic functioning has made CBFC a laughing stock not only amongst the film makers but also the cinema viewing audience.” He added, “He literally functions like an archaic monarch treating CBFC and its office like his own fiefdom.”

Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi angry over Nihalani’s adamant attitude lamented, "I have started feeling uncomfortable of being a part of an esteemed institution where, collective decision of the board is ignored or collective voice is unheard," 

In support of the criticism voice out by the members of CBFC against Pahlaj Nihalani eminent Bollywood filmmakers including veteran like Ramesh Sippy, Gulzar and Mukesh Bhatt, met Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore on Monday to demand the removal of Censor Board Chief Pahlaj Nihalani.

The others present during the meeting were Aamir Khan, Kiran Rao, Anushka Sharma, Anurag Kashyap, Riteish Deshmukh, Vidya Balan, Siddharth Roy Kapur, Piyush Mishra, Karan Johar, Vishal Bhardwaj and Raj Kumar Hirani.

It is really regrettable that Pahlaj Nihalani is pointlessly being targeted because the job of Censor Board is to stop vulgarity from reaching the people and he has done just that! 

Readers may note that Ashoke Pandit who termed Nahalani as archaic monarch for deleting ‘Cuss Words’ in the film NH10 had ironically condemned film maker Karan Johar for his AIB show and even termed the show as ‘Porn’ for its abusive language and content and when Nahalani lays scissors on such words in films, he raises eye brow! What double standards!