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Nihalani’s time as CBFC chief, from 2015 to 2017, was met with controversy. Under his leadership, the board recommended nearly 100 cuts to the film Udta Punjab. Despite the criticism, Nihalani remains unapologetic about his tenure.
“I never allowed myself to be pressured by the government. I passed films on merit alone. They didn’t want the title ‘Udta Punjab’ to be passed, and I threatened to resign… I don’t have any regrets. I’ve done my work with honesty. To this day, people appreciate my work in CBFC,” he stated in an interview with Siddharth Kannan.
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Defending his strict guidelines, Nihalani argued that they were intended to save producers time and money by avoiding extensive re-editing after cuts were suggested. “It was misinterpreted by the media… Before that, during Sharmila Tagore’s tenure, the film Omkara was passed because her son Saif Ali Khan was in it. People in the board accepted bribes to pass certain films without cuts. They went against the guidelines; I just made sure the rules were followed.”
Addressing the censorship of the word “intercourse” in the trailer of Jab Harry Met Sejal, Nihalani revealed, “I spoke to Shah Rukh about this, he said, ‘Cut it’.” He confirmed that Shah Rukh Khan himself approved the cut. “There was only one cut, I told him to send another version or accept the cut, and he said, ‘Okay, cut it’. He was fine with it. His films don’t have any vulgarity anyway. The media targeted me because I was controversial,” Nihalani added.
Before his CBFC tenure, Nihalani was known for producing several B-grade movies. His recent productions include the erotic thriller Julie 2 and the comedy Rangeela Raja. Despite his controversial period as CBFC chief, Nihalani insists that his actions were guided by a commitment to upholding the board’s guidelines and integrity.
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