CBFC Chief Nihalani Reacts to Reports of Him Being Asked to Quit

Is the CBFC chief being asked to put in his papers?

On Tuesday morning, Pahlaj Nihalani  woke up to a barrage of calls and messages anxiously inquiring about reports that he will soon be asked to step down from the position of the chairperson of the Central Board Of  Film Certification (CBFC).

Nihalani sounded far from  rattled by these rumours.

So far I have not heard of any such plans from the government. I am sure my well-wishers are holding their breath. But they can exhale for now. As far as being asked to relinquish my post as the CBFC chairperson is concerned, I leave the decision entirely to the government. It was they who asked me to take over in January 2015. The decision to hire me was a complete surprise to me. I immediately took charge and began working to the best of my abilities. If now I am asked to leave, I’d do so just as swiftly, wishing my successor all the best.

Pahlaj Nihalani, CBFC Chairperson

He feels a lot of ground has been covered by the CBFC in 2 and a half years under him.

“We brought in complete  transparency in the process of film certification and we eliminated all middlemen and corruption. For this, I  must thank my very efficient CBFC team. We all worked towards getting rid of the problems that plagued the workings of the censor board. This  did not go down well with a lot of people who used to benefit from the earlier system of working in the CBFC. As  for the constant criticism about my work methods, I repeat - I am only doing my job. I didn’t formulate  the censor guidelines. If the guidelines are changed, I’d be most happy to implement those changes . But until then I  will do my job as I am meant to. Please accept the fact that I  won’t get swayed by criticism, abuse and taunts. Accept  my work method, or wait  for the government to get rid of me,” ends Nihalani.

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