This is our job: Nihalani on bleeping out 'cow', 'Hindu' from documentary on Amartya Sen

Pahlaj Nihalani, chief of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), has defended the demand of bleeping out of several words from An Argumentative Indian, a documentary on economist Amartya Sen. He has said that the makers are free to approach the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) if they have any objections to the board's move.

Talking to a news channel, he said, “This is our job. Whatever the director or producer is saying, ask him to go to the tribunal or the advisory committee.” The CBFC had suggested bleeping out of words like ‘cow,’ ‘Hindu,’ ‘Gujarat’ and ‘Hindutva.’

Sen himself has chosen to distance himself from the controversy. He said, “It is a documentary film on me. I have not made it. I have nothing to say on it. You ask Suman Ghosh about it. If the authorities have any objection, they can discuss it.” 

CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani is a disaster: Kabir Bedi

President of the West Bengal unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Dilip Ghosh, has supported the decision by CBFC and has even slammed Sen for his statements in the film. He said that being a Nobel laureate doesn’t give “anybody the licence to say whatever he wants.” 

Veteran Hindi film actor Kabir Bedi, however, came down heavily on CBFC and Nihalani on Twitter yesterday. He even appealed to the Prime Minister’s Office by tagging them. He wrote, “Censor Board has no idea how much it is damaging India's image with their stupid demands. Pahlaj Nihalani is a disaster.  @PMOIndia.” 

Chief minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, also slammed the CBFC in a Facebook post. “Institutions like the Censor Board have to work in an independent manner and today the Centre is using these institutions as a tool to implement Hindutva agenda. This is highly improper and condemnable,” he stated.