Ex-CBFC Chairman Pahlaj Nihalani Credits Actor Vishal for Exposing Corruption

Former CBFC Chairman Pahlaj Nihalani praised actor Vishal for exposing corruption within the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). Vishal alleged that film producers had to pay a significant amount to CBFC representatives in Mumbai for certifying his movie 'Mark Antony' for a theatrical release.

Marking the same, Former CBFC Chairman and filmmaker Pahlaj Nihalani discussed issues with the CBFC process, particularly the problems caused by agents. He highlighted movie delays and the extra costs producers incur due to the absence of a tribunal.

Nihalani criticized the current CBFC Chairman, Prasoon Joshi, for not addressing these concerns and for assigning film review responsibilities to the CEO, who lacks the expertise. He proposed that the government permanently strip the CEO of film review authority and focus solely on administrative tasks.

Nihalani also mentioned that the CBFC has 9 regional offices in India and explained the certification process. He highlighted the CBFC's directive to producers to avoid using agents or middlemen, a practice that he had stopped during his tenure.

Nihalani expressed concern over movie delays due to certification issues and pointed out that producers sometimes have to pay middlemen because there's no tribunal to help them, and their only option is to go to court. He mentioned telling the CBFC CEO about corruption in the system, like an incident where someone asked for Rs 3 lakh for a dubbed Kannada movie.

In conclusion, Nihalani suggested that the current CBFC Chairman should resign politely because of the corruption allegations.