Ranbir-anushka Film Causes Further Dissension In The Censor Board

Here's the latest update from the world of Bollywood. We bet you wouldn't want to miss this. Read on for details... Senior CBFC member Nandini complains about Pahlaj to I & B Ministry

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Ranbir-anushka Film Causes Further Dissension In The Censor Board
Senior Censor Board member Nandini Sardesai has fired the first salvo against the Censor Chief Pahlaj Nihalani, who was appointed in January this year. Sardesai has dispatched a complaint letter to the I & B Ministry alleging that Nihalani is exceeding his brief.

Sardesai, who has been miffed with Nihalani's functioning since quite some time, says that the flashpoint was reached on Friday when Nihalani chose to preside over the Revising Committee screening of Bombay Velvet. 



On May 2, SpotboyE.com brought you the story that the film's director Anurag Kashyap had stormed out of the Censor Board in disgust when he was asked to scissor the foul language in his film. Kashyap was granted an 'A' certificate then.

On May 8, SpotboyE.com updated you on this with the story that the Revising Committee had passed the film with a U/A after Kashyap agreed to clip a steamy Ranbir-Anushka kiss.



We know Senior Board Members like Ashoke Pandit and Chandraprakash Dwivedi have been miffed with Nihalani in the recent past. Sardesai too had expressed her voice of dissent when Nihalani had refused to certify Alia Bhatt starrer Highway to air on Doordarshan.  

A furious Sardesai says, "Nihalani did not inform me about the Revising Committee screening. In fact, I had called him up few days ago to tell him that I would love to be a part of the Revising Committee if and when Bombay Velvet comes up for certification."





What's the problem if Nihalani didn't call her? Sardesai said, "I have learnt that the same members from the Examining Committee who had objected to certain portions in the film at the first screening were asked to review the film again. A few 'yes' men were added to the list. They all nodded to whatever Nihalani said. No wonder the film's foul words like har****** and son of a bi*** haven't found their way into the theatres. He bulldozed them into endorsing his perspective. Is that we call a Revising Committee? Above all, the Censor Chief should not have been a part of the Revising Committee. The norms have been flouted. Would you believe it that he told me on Thursday that Bombay Velvet has not come up for certification/revision yet? And on Friday, he had issued a U/A certificate."



Sardesai demands to know that why the Censor Board took more than three weeks to certify Bombay Velvet. "Anurag Kashyap had submitted the final draft on April 14," she quipped.


Doesn't she still have a year to go in the Censor Board, we asked? Sardesai shot back, "I don't care. As a board member,  I am kept in the dark about many things. Something is terribly rotten out here. Wouldn't it be better that I remain in the system and fight to cleanse it rather than staying outside it?"

When contacted, Nihalani simply said, "I was within my rights to see Bombay Velvet again."

"I am the daughter of a police officer of great integrity and my investigative skills are rather good. Nihalani is a megalomaniac," Sardesai signed off.

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