New Delhi: Tamil actor Vishal claimed that he had paid a bribe of Rs 6.5 lakh to the Central Board of Film Certification in order to get the Hindi version of his movie 'Mark Antony' censor-certified. Now, former CBFC Chairman Pahlaj Nihalani responded to the allegations of corruption in the CBFC.
Nihalani stated in an interview with ANI that Vishal has done a great job of exposing 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 said.
"But CBFC is openly taking bribes... The Chairman does not come to office, nor does he see day-to-day work," he added.
Meanwhile, Ashoke Pandit, a former CBFC member, also urged that the CBI conduct an investigation. The filmmaker stated, in an interview with India Today, that those who took the money are not a part of the board or its office.
“On behalf of IFTDA (Indian Film and Television Directors' Association), we are writing a letter to Prasoon Joshi and demanding a CBI inquiry on these charges. The people who have taken the money are not employees of CBFC, so whoever the money was given to has to be investigated,” he said.
The central government took note of the alleged corruption at the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and opened an investigation into Tamil actor Vishal's allegations.
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.
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