DNA (July 28, 2017)

Speculation about Pahlaj Nihalani’s ouster as the chairperson of the Central Board Of Film Certification (CBFC) has been rife for some days now. It is baffling, because reliable sources in the Ministry For Information & Broadcasting indicate that there is no such move afoot.

The source also brings a significant fact to light. “Every time there has been a board meeting of the CBFC on the anvil during the last two years, ‘news’ about Nihalani’s ouster is leaked out presumably by disgruntled board members.”

The source says, no discussion on Nihalani’s ouster has been tabulated in the board meeting to be held at Thiruvanthipuram on July 28. The source adds, “One of the topics to be discussed will be the fate of Jayan Cherian’s Ka Bodyscapes, which has been stuck with at the CBFC for many months now. But there is no move to discuss Nihalani’s removal or his replacement with names such as Prakash Jha, Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi and Madhur Bhandarkar.”