Pahlaj Nihalani
Subhash K Jha (DNA; December 28, 2015)

The sudden spurt of sex comedies in Bollywood has come under the scrutiny of the Information & Broadcasting ministry after the trailers of Mastizaade and Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 were brought to their attention. An explanation has been demanded from the Central Board Of Film Certification (CBFC) asking how such vulgarity was passed.

CBFC chair Pahlaj Nihalani has already sent his explanation to the I&B ministry. Says Nihalani, “We are in a Catch-22 situation. Karo toh gaali, na karo toh gaali. When we were strict with the vulgarity quotient, we were called prudes. Sanskaari became a gaali. And to endorse obscenity was seen worthy of taali. So, we certified some films with scenes and dialogues that we would otherwise have never passed as they went against our guidelines.”

However Nihalani is quick to point out that the scenes being shown in the forthcoming sex comedies are illegal. “The steep level of vulgarity in the trailers was brought to our notice. And we were shocked to see scenes and dialogues that we had censored, being used in the trailer. In fact, the makers of Angry Indian Goddesses put together scenes deleted from the film and posted them online. Do they know it’s a culpable crime?”

Nihalani is not the least apologetic about his pro-government leanings. “Yes, I am a proud soldier of the BJP and I firmly believe Narendra Modiji is the present and future of the country. But I’ve a mind of my own. And I know what is good for the film industry as I’ve been a producer for 40 years.”

He concludes, “As long as I am the chairperson of the CBFC, I’ll do what my conscience tells me is right. Brickbats have never bothered me. I won’t buckle under pressure from vested interests.”