Mumbai: Veteran filmmaker and former head of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), Pahlaj Nihalani, has reignited old controversies in a recent interview, taking a sharp swipe at actor Vivek Oberoi and revisiting the infamous censorship battle over the film Udta Punjab.
Nihalani, who served as CBFC Chairperson from 2015 to 2017, addressed a 2017 remark made by Vivek Oberoi. At the time, Oberoi, promoting his web series Inside Edge, expressed relief at working in the digital space, where he didn’t have to “deal with Pahlaj Nihalani.”
Responding directly to this old statement, Nihalani did not mince words. “Whenever Vivek Oberoi meets me, he greets me very warmly. Now, if he has to say something… is he even getting any films anymore? Or making any OTT films?” Nihalani questioned. He then added a personal attack, stating, “If he likes vulgarity, he should do it in his personal life. Why do it in films?”
Revisiting the Udta Punjab Controversy
During the interview, Nihalani also offered his perspective on the Udta Punjab controversy, a major flashpoint of his tenure. In 2016, he had demanded numerous cuts to the film, a move that led to a public outcry and a court battle.
Nihalani clarified that contrary to public perception, the CBFC had cleared the film’s language where it was deemed necessary, and they only muted cuss words without removing a single frame. He claimed that the co-producers, Jeetendra and Balaji Motion Pictures’ CEO, were ready to accept the certificate with the cuts. However, he alleged that co-producer Anurag Kashyap’s Phantom Films resisted the release until just six days before its premiere. Nihalani believes this was a deliberate strategy by Kashyap to “amplify the buzz for his film,” as it was not “hot enough” on its own.