Pahlaj Nihalani slams filmmakers taking films to festivals without certification

A scam of sorts has come to light. Or so the Censor Board of Film Certification claims. It is to do with filmmakers taking their work to international film festivals without a proper CBFC certificate.

Board chief Pahlaj Nihlani has vowed to take action. “This has been going on for a very long time, unchecked,” he says. “Perhaps earlier no action was taken against producers and directors who zipped off to exotic locations for international film festivals without a censor [board] certification in pursuit of international fame for Indian cinema. Let me tell all filmmakers who do this: you can’t do this. You can’t take your film to festivals without censor certification.”

He continues, “I know that screenings at film festivals favour uncensored content. But that’s not allowed in India. For any film to be screened on any platform and in any format without a censor [board] certificate, a filmmaker needs special permission from the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. We’ve come to know that Indian filmmakers simply sneak off with their films to film festivals without [either] a censor certificate or a special permission.”

Nihalani warns there will be “strictest action” on this.