Exclusive: Nihalani’s Was a One-Man Show, Says Ashoke Pandit

We got complaints of Nihalani abusing filmmakers, asking them to get out of his office, he says.

Ashoke Pandit

(Photo: The Quint)

Filmmaker and CBFC member Ashoke Pandit, in an exclusive interview with The Quint, confirmed the removal of Pahlaj Nihalani as the Central Board of Certification’s head. He also shared the reasons behind the move:

It was not a sudden decision. The way things were going, everybody was very uncomfortable with his behaviour and his one-man show. The way the filmmakers were treated... producers, directors... there was an atmosphere of insecurity among the filmmakers. It had to happen. The way <i>Indu Sarkar</i> or <i>Babumoshai Bandookbaaz</i> were harassed.. <i>Udta Punjab</i>... Every month, there were two films because of which there was a lot of discomfort. The film industry was very angry. It’s only the big films that were being talked about in the media, but we in the association used to get complaints from second line of producers, regional filmmakers... they used to tell us horrifying stories about how they used to be abused by him. They were asked to get out of his office. He used foul language. All these messages had gone across. I am very grateful to Smriti Irani that she has taken this call.&nbsp;

Ashoke Pandit, CBFC Member

They have got Prasoon Joshi, who is such a great choice as a chairperson. He identifies with today’s filmmakers like Raju Hirani, Anurag Kashyap, Madhur Bhandarkar. The respectability of cinema would be maintained. Cuts used to happen earlier too. But the problem with this man was that he was very abusive and it was a one-man show. He used to treat filmmakers like <i>goonda</i>s.

Pandit also said that because he protested against Nihalani’s dictum, as a board member, he was never asked to watch a single film in three years.

What is wrong in using the words “Gujarat” or “Amartya Sen”?

Well, it’s azaadi time at last.

Also read: Exclusive: Ashoke Pandit Slams Censor Board Chief Pahlaj Nihalani

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