Pahlaj Nihalani: I won’t settle for votes from unmarried people below 36 years of age

A couple of days back, Pahlaj Nihalani, chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), announced on a news channel that he would pass the word ‘intercourse’ in Imtiaz Ali's Jab Harry Met Sejal trailer and film if he gets 1 lakh votes in favour of the move. 

However, in what appears like a U-turn, Nihalani has now put a list of conditions on the voting for the Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma starrer. While talking to a publication, he said that votes on Twitter won’t do. “Look, I don't want 1 lakh votes on Twitter. That won’t be difficult to get. I want 1 lakh votes on the same channel (with) whom I told that 1 lakh votes are required,” he said. 

But more importantly, the voters need to be married and fall in certain age group. “Importantly, I will not settle for votes from unmarried people. And neither will I be satisfied if votes come from people who are less than 36-years old,” he added. 

Nihalani has his own reasoning behind this. “Assuming that an average age when a man or woman gets married is 23, I think they would have a 12-year old child when they are 36. Hence I want the voting public to be at least 36-years-old. Only then I will feel that India has broadened its outlook and I shall recommend to the government that the word ‘intercourse’ should be included in Harry Met Sejal and any film hereafter,” he said. 

When the CBFC chief had put forth the idea, he hadn’t mentioned any such conditions. He had said, “You take voting from the public and I will clear the word (intercourse) on the promo and the film also. I want 1 lakh votes and I want to see that India has changed and Indian families want their 12-year-old kids to understand the meaning of this word (intercourse).” 

It remains to be seen if the voting does take place on the channel and if it does, how will the conditions be met.