New Delhi: The Central Board of Film Certification issues a statement in response to corruption allegations made against them by actor Vishal. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting set up an investigation into the matter with immediate effect, and the CBFC statement followed. In order to censor-certify the Hindi version of his film 'Mark Antony', Tamil actor Vishal said that he had paid the Central Board of Film Certification a bribe of Rs 6.5 lakh.
"It has been noticed that despite the online certification system i.e. E-Cinepramaan in place and regular updates on new system improvements for the film producers/applicants, they still choose to apply through intermediaries or agents. This goes against the objective of eliminating third-party involvement in the certification process,” the press release stated.
“However, we have taken note of the allegations being reported very seriously and CBFC has zero tolerance for corruption. Also, the strictest action will be taken against anyone found involved and we shall get into the root cause. Meanwhile, any attempt to malign the image of CBFC will not be tolerated,” it further read.
Recently, Pahlaj Nihalani, a former CBFC chairman, responded to allegations of corruption within the CBFC.
"It is true that the producer himself has said that he has paid the bribe... This is old practice... He has exposed the CBFC very well...When this(Central) government was formed, we heard 'Na Khaunga Na Khane dunga'," the former Chairman told ANI.
Vishal accused CBFC officials at the Mumbai headquarters in a video he shared of accepting bribes. In exchange for the screening and a U/A certificate for his movie, he claimed he was asked to pay Rs 6.5 lakh. The Hindi version of his film 'Mark Antony' released on September 28.