Pahlaj Nihalani slaps IIFA Awards 2017 with legal notice; organisers react to it

It has been almost two weeks since the conclusion of IIFA Awards 2017, but the prestigious award ceremony continues to invite controversies.

After hosts Karan Johar, Saif Ali Khan and Varun Dhawan sparked off the debate on nepotism all over again after they took a jibe at Kangana Ranaut on the stage, now, the organisers are at the receiving end of severe backlash by none other than Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chief Pahlaj Nihalani.

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According to a Deccan Chronicle report, Nihalani has sent a five-page legal notice to IIFA 2017 and its organisers Wizcraft International for defaming him at the function. The notice further states that Nihalani's picture was misused at the award ceremony.

He has demanded an unconditional apology for derogatory remarks passed against him by hosts Riteish Deshmukh and Manish Paul at IIFA Rocks 2017.

"The matter is gone legal now, so I'll say only one thing. I know when to laugh and when to make others cry." Nihalani was quoted by Deccan Chronicle as saying. He further added: "These people forget they insult not me but the position held by me as the chairperson of the CBFC. It's time to let them know the joke is not on me."

The organisers have, however, termed the entire episode as a misunderstanding. "There is no statement or event in the show that warrants any notice. Pahlajji will get a better understanding of the show once he sees it. We have always respected Pahlajji, who has originally been on the IIFA advisory board and has always been [of tremendous] help. I am sure it is a misunderstanding that will be corrected once Pahlajji sees the show on television again," Sabbas Joseph, director, Wizcraft International, told the daily.