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Pahlaj Nihalani Says His Video Tribute To PM Modi Is Being Respected Like The National Anthem

Pahlaj Nihalani Has Shot Himself In The Foot With This Howlarious Interview
Indian Bollywood film producer and Censor Board chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani attends the wedding reception of Kussh Sinha, son of Bollywood veteran actor Shatrughan Sinha, and Taruna Agarwal in Mumbai on January 19, 2015. AFP PHOTO/STR (Photo credit should read STRDEL/AFP/Getty Images)
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Indian Bollywood film producer and Censor Board chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani attends the wedding reception of Kussh Sinha, son of Bollywood veteran actor Shatrughan Sinha, and Taruna Agarwal in Mumbai on January 19, 2015. AFP PHOTO/STR (Photo credit should read STRDEL/AFP/Getty Images)

Pahlaj Nihalani, the chief of Central Board Of Film Certification (CBFC, commonly referred to as the Censor Board), has been making news for a while now. First, for his grand video on Prime Minister Narendra Modi that had footages from various parts of the world, then, for planning to expose all FTII students as 'anti-nationals' in a film and lastly, for deciding to cut James Bond's kissing scenes in 'Spectre' by half.

In an interview to Mumbai Mirror today, Nihalani tries to give the impression that he's misunderstood. But, he only shoots himself in the foot.

He says that the film he is planning to make on FTII students is for their benefit. The CBFC chief says he is 'concerned' about the FTII students."I want the students to focus on their work, and so my film won't be against the students. But what the students are doing today (the protests) is not good," he said.

On being asked, why he is calling them anti-national, Nihalani says he was misquoted. Apparently, he was misquoted on other things too. Asked about his decision to cut the timing of Daniel Craig's kiss in James Bond, Nihalani said, "Someone put out a wrong story, social media picked it up and they have damaged the film and its producer."

However, Nihalani defends his decision to reduce the timing of the kiss. "You want to do sex in your house with your door open. And show to people the way you are doing sex," he asked.

According to Nihalani, his board is much more liberal than the previous one. "I am not tough on anything, otherwise all films would have been rejected," he told Mirror.

If Nihalani had his way, he would change the rating systems completely. And, according to him, that would be to fit the ideas of today's youth. The new categories would be 12, 12+, 15, 15+, A, A+ and A++. "That way even parents come to know exactly what kind of films their child is watching," he said.

So, why does Nihalani want to censor everything?

"Few thousand people on Twitter don't know what India is. India is a land where people put Gangajal on their face. Aap chahte ho aise desh mein sab free ho? Even if some producers decide to put their films only on the digital platform, the government will definitely introduce censorship," he said.

The Censor Board chief has made the video 'Mera Desh Hai Mahaan, Mera Desh Hai Jawaan', projecting Prime Minister Modi's achievements with his own money. "It's my love for the prime minister," he said.

While people are criticizing the terrible photoshop and usage of footages from various countries, trying to pass it off as India's, Nihalani is of a different opinion. "People are respecting it, like a national anthem," he said.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.