Published On : Fri, Aug 11th, 2017

Nihalani ‘censored’ as the CBFC chairman; replaced by Prasoon Joshi

Advertisement

New Delhi: Controversy’s favorite child Pahlaj Nihlani, infamous among the masses for his censor decisions has been sacked from his position as chairperson of Central Board of Film Certification in India (CBFC). He will be succeeded by lyricist Prasoon Joshi. Along with him actress Vidya Balan will be one of the members of the board.

Under the chairmanship of Nihalani, CBFC has been under one or another controversy. The decision of the board was put under question and challenged in films like Udta Punjab, James Bond franchise -Spectre, and Lipstic Under My Burkha. Ever since Pahlaj Nihalani was appointed the chief of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), filmmakers and audiences were exasperated by his “sanskaari” impositions on films. From snipping the length of liplocks to refusing to certify a film for being “lady-oriented”, the Nihalani-led CBFC was infamous for its draconian measures.

Concerning the appointment, further details are awaited as of now. Nihalani has faced massive flak on social media and otherwise for what was seen as unreasonable censorship and a sexist attitude. Even after being reprimanded by the Supreme Court his decisions have been in controversy. On one hand, he has passed movies like ‘Kya Kool hain hum’ sequel while on the other; he has been seen banning movies like ‘Lipstick Under my Burkha’ for being women centric. Hence, his removal from the position comes up as no surprise.