CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani accuses Kick, Singham Returns makers of bribery

Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chief Pahlaj Nihalani has levelled serious allegations against Bollywood big wigs, especially Ajay Devgn, Rohit Shetty and Salman Khan.

In an explosive interview with CNN News 18, Nihalani alleged Bollywood producers often bribe CBFC members to get clearance for movies.

"From the last 12 years, I have not seen any chairman working in Mumbai, they were used to sit in Chennai or Delhi. Bombay was in the hand of the staffs who took bribes from the producers to give a certificate," the CBFC head said.

When asked to be more specific about the film-makers he is accusing of corruption, Nihalani preferred to play safe.

"Don't take names. It didn't happen during my tenure. As an industry person, I am aware of the corrupt practices. Everything was rated - if the director wanted to release the promo he was asked to pay Rs 25,000," he added.

While Nihalani had taken over the post in CBFC in 2015, he claimed the board had received bribes from many producers in 2014. Middlemen were involved in getting clearance for Salman Khan's Kick and makers of Vidya Balan's Bobby Jasoos had paid Rs 1 lakh as bribe, he said.

Nihalani said Rs 25,000 was paid for Ajay's Singham Returns, co-produced by Rohit Shetty, and the deal was set at Rs 50,000 for Shah Rukh Khan's Happy New Year, directed by Farah Khan.

Well, looks like Nihalani has just made a number of big enemies in the industry. Meanwhile, there was buzz that Nihalani would soon be asked to resign as CBFC chief. However, there has not been any confirmation on that front.