Nihalani censored ‘Udta Punjab’ on BJP’s order: Kejriwal
New Delhi, June 8 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday accused censor board chief Pahlaj Nihalani of censoring Bollywood film “Udta Punjab” on the BJP’s direction.
“Pahlaj Nihalani’s statement (linking co-producer Anurag Kashyap with the AAP) makes it amply clear he has stopped the film on BJP’s instructions,” the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader tweeted.
Nihalani earlier alleged that he had heard that Kashyap had “taken money from AAP” to show Punjab in bad light through “Udta Punjab” and said this was the talk in the film industry.
The makers of “Udta Punjab” — Kashyap’s Phantom Films and Balaji Motion Pictures — have been asked by the censor board to make 89 cuts if they wanted a release certificate.
A furious Kashyap then called Nihalani, who heads the Central Board of Film Certification, an “oligarch” — prompting Nihalani’s counter.