Pahlaj Nihalani's saga of troubles seems unending even after stepping down from the office of the Censor Board chairman. Advocate Rizwan Siddiquee, who represents the producers of Babumoshai Bandookbaaz, has sent a legal notice to the former Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chief for allegedly attempting to sabotage the film. BT is in possession of a copy of the legal notice.

The advocate has also filed RTI queries on behalf of his other showbiz clients and has sought details of the complaints made against Pahlaj by aggrieved filmmakers. Rizwan told BT, “I filed RTI queries on behalf of several of my showbiz clients. It wasn't timed to clash with the release of Kushan (Nandy)'s film, Babumoshai Bandookbaaz. We're doing this now because he needs to be answerable for his highhandedness. Also, I am not clear about what led to his exit. I sent him a legal notice because he made false claims that my clients showed two different copies of their film to the CBFC and the Tribunal. We want him to clarify and apologise. If he doesn't, we will figure out the next course of action.“

Earlier this month, BT had reported that Pahlaj and the Censor Board's examining committee had suggested 48 cuts and granted an A-certificate to Babumoshai Bandookbaaz, apart from allegedly humiliating the film's producer, Kiran Shyam Shroff, for her attire. The film's makers then appealed to the FCAT seeking redressal. The tribunal brought the cuts down to eight, all voluntary, but retained the certification. In the process, the film's director Kushan Nandy discovered that Pahlaj had written to the tribunal claiming that two different versions of the film were shown to the CBFC and the Tribunal which was later proven wrong.

We reached out to Pahlaj for his version, but he didn't respond till we went to press.