Former CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani has moved Bombay High Court against the cuts, says the censor board doesn’t have the power to ask for them.
New Delhi: Controversial former Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chairman Pahlaj Nihalani is up in arms after the board suggested 20 cuts in his film Rangeela Raja, which was to hit the screens on 16 November.
A furious Nihalani called the CBFC’s move vendetta against him, and emphasised that all the dialogues and scenes now up for cuts were “harmless”. He has also claimed that the CBFC has no authority to suggest cuts, which contradicts his actions as its chief.
He said since his film was scheduled to release shortly and the Diwali holidays are here, he would not be able to go through the proper route of approaching the revising committee and the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal. He says that’s why he has approached the Bombay High Court for relief.
‘Harmless’ dialogues and scenes
Here are some of the cuts suggested by the CBFC in Nihalani’s film, as per his petition:
1. Talwar myan se bahar nikal aayi toh…: While the context of this dialogue is not known, Nihalani has claimed it is a common phrase that is not vulgar or against the CBFC’s policies.
2. To aap mere honth kaant lijiye: Nihalani says the dialogue is in the context of the male lead of the film telling the female lead about Hindu mythological guru Dronacharya, who had got his student Eklavya to cut off his thumb as gurudakshina.
3. Haaye itna ras bhara…ahista ahista kholna: Nihalani says this is in the context of a dessert popular in Rajasthan called ghevar, which is dipped in sugar syrup.
4. Dyaychi aahe ghyaychi aahe: This Marathi phrase would roughly translate to ‘dena hai, lena hai’ in Hindi, or ‘have to give it, have to take it’ in English. As per Nihalani, the dialogue is spoken when the male leads — the same actor in a double role — are asking each other whether they intend to “get the liquor or taking the same”, as per the petition.
5. Arjun ki tarah ratri mein aapka teer lekar…: Nihalani says the dialogue appeared in the context of conflicts between two brothers.
6. Tu aisa swadisht khana mujhe khila chuki hai:Nihalani doesn’t state the context here, but says this dialogue cannot be construed as vulgar in any way as these are “normal words used in day-to-day life”.
7. Ram ka saath dene ke liye: Nihalani states that this was used as part of the dialogue, “Jab jab mata Sita ka haran hoga, Ram ka saath dene ke liye Hanuman aayega”. He claims this dialogue can be found in the holy book Ramayan.
Nihalani also states in his petition that CBFC had called for some of the scenes in the film to be deleted, which were not vulgar by any means. He alleged that other films such as Manmarziyaan and Netflix series Sacred Games have shown much more vulgarity.
One of the scenes which the CBFC has asked to be deleted shows the titular character Raja slapping his wife twice. The scene, Nihalani says, follows the wife making a false statement, and that “this was the natural reaction on part of the husband”.
Another scene, which the CBFC had recommended to be cut, has the male lead hugging a nurse after the character ‘Natasha’ leaves. Nihalani says there was nothing wrong with the scene.
Nihalani further states that the name of “God Shree Ram” has been used in the film, but in a “corrective” manner. But because elections are approaching, and that CBFC chairman (Prasoon Joshi) is a “political” appointee, he had raised issue with that.
Also read: Pahlaj Nihalani: ‘Netflex’ runs a website ‘Secret Game’ that airs blue films
CBFC can’t censor
In his petition, Nihalani states that the CBFC does not have the power to suggest cuts in the film, as it is only the certification authority, and can only certify the film in three categories — universal (U), universal with adults (U/A) and adults only (A).
Yet, this is at variance with his own tenure as CBFC chief.
For example, in the film Udta Punjab, which was to be released a few months before the assembly polls in Punjab, the board had asked for 94 cuts, including removing references of the state Punjab and its cities, the words ‘election’, ‘MP’, ‘MLA’, ‘Parliament’. It also asked for a name change for the lead character’s dog, ‘Jackie Chan’, as it would reportedly harm India’s relations with China.
This was not the only example — Nihalani’s tenure as CBFC chief was marred by numerous controversies, earning him criticism from all corners for endorsing arbitrary cuts.
Nihalani vacating the CBFC chair has not made any difference to the CBFC’s approach, as it continues to justify its unofficial name, the ‘censor board’.
A report on revamping the CBFC submitted by a Shyam Benegal-headed committee — which would entail several changes in the existing Cinematograph Act — has been put on the backburner by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry. A draft Cinematograph Bill is also in cold storage.
Now, both the CBFC and the functional Cinematograph Act have been practically rendered powerless, with films releasing on YouTube and other over-the-top (OTT) platforms like Netflix without any kind of pre-screening or censorship.