Pahlaj Nihalani on why he removed ‘intercourse’ from ‘Jab Harry Met Sejal’
As we know Pahlaj Nihalani was prone to causing quite some uproar when it came to what made the cut in films, one of which was for ‘Jab Harry Met Sejal’ (2017), which was also his last film to certify as chairman for The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), said the organisation is confused.
Reported in the Hindustan Times, Nihalani was under fire when he told makers of ‘Jab Harry Met Sejal’ they couldn’t use the word ‘intercourse’ in the mini trailers, but then allowed the same use of word within the Bengali film ‘Dhanonjoy’ (2017). Nihalani claims his reasoning behind this decision was that he was being “pragmatic”.
“I had no problem with the word. ‘Intercourse’ has been allowed in the new Bengali film Dhanonjoy. No, I am not a prude. But I am pragmatic. I know Shah Rukh Khan’s fans are children. And parents wouldn’t have liked him talking about intercourse in Jab Harry Met Sejal. Let me make one thing clear. The CBFC guidelines do not stipulate that films should not be cut. Yet I was pressurized from the top to not cut, only certify. The CBFC is a confused organization. We need progressive guidelines. Without them, we are stuck in a time-warp.” Said Nihalani.
Nihalani who has now been superseded by writer-adman Prasoon Joshi, found it surprising that certain filmmakers who he had once cleared on priority, were actually happy about his departure. “I can understand Anurag Kashyap feeling happy about my departure from the CBFC. He has been openly campaigning against my tenure as the CBFC chairperson. There is no hidden agenda in his malice. It’s all out in the open. I believe he has been singing songs after my exit from the CBFC. Glad to bring happiness in his life. But some of the others ‘welcoming the change’ have been telling me on my face that they had no problem with me at the CBFC. And now they say they’re happy to see me go?” Nihalani says.
Without mentioning any names, Nihalani hinted towards ‘Toilet: Ek Prem Katha’ (2017), and shared how he was being more than accommodating around the toilet humour in the film. “There were derogatory references to caste and community which I couldn’t allow. The next thing I heard is that the film’s hero had complained to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry about my high-handedness. God bless him and all the others who are celebrating my departure.”
