Pahlaj Nihalani has been removed as chief of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and replaced by noted lyricist Prasoon Joshi, filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri said on Friday. Since his appointment as the head of CBFC in January 2015, Pahlaj Nihalani has made headlines for a number of controversial moves and statements.
Lipstick Under My Burkha: The Alankrita Shrivastava’s movie revolved around the desires of four women from Bhopal. CBFC headed by Pahlaj Nihalani after denying certification for almost six months, demanded chopping off 27 scenes from the film.
Udta Punjab: Though makers of the movie won the case against Pahlaj but the censor board chief demanded 89 cuts in order to make the movie as per Indian audience.
Aligarh: Pahlaj Nihalani gave the movie A certificate which revolved around the topic of homosexuality. Directed by Hansal Mehta, the movie featured Manoj Bajpayee and Rajkummar Rao.
NH 10: Anushka Sharma’s maiden production NH10 also faced severe ire as CBFC chief demanded removal of cuss words and extra violent scenes. However, the makers of the movie won the case.
Dum Laga Ke Hiasha: Ayushmann Khuranna and Bhumi Pednekar’s movie also couldn’t escape the wrath of Pahlaj Nihalani. He was offended over the word lesbian and only after the word was muted, the movie was allowed to release.
