'This is nothing but...': Pahlaj Nihalani on CBFC's delay in censor certification of John Abraham's Vedaa

Former Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chief Pahlaj Nihalani has reacted to the treatment of the board towards filmmakers, delaying the clearance and certification of films, including John Abraham's Vedaa. On Thursday, July 25, the makers of Vedaa issued an official statement regarding the delay in the film's clearance from the CBFC. 

The film was applied for certification on June 25 but was sent to the Revising Committee without any explanation to the producer. The uninformed development can delay the film's release, which is scheduled for August 15. In an interview with ETimes, Pahlaj said, "Until and unless there is a show-cause notice issued to the producer, it is his prerogative if he wishes to take the film to the Revising Committee. He also needs to be given a reason why the film was not cleared by the Examining Committee and why the recommendation was made to go to the Revising Committee."

Nihalani also criticized the Board for not adhering to the established guidelines for film certification and following its own rules. Pahlaj asserted, "The Examining Committee's decision needs to be conveyed to the producer, which in this case was not done. The producer will then choose whether to move to court or go to the Revising Committee, as there is no appellate tribunal anymore." Pahlaj said that what is happening with producers John Abraham and Nikhil Advani 'is nothing but harassment'.

Vedaa makers move to fans 

The makers of Vedaa issued an official statement on Thursday addressing the issue and have urged for support from those who can help. The official statement shared by the makers reads, "We, the producers of Vedaa feel compelled to share with our fans and supporters that despite our best efforts, we are still to secure a clearance and certification from the CBFC of India.” It went on to add that the production house had complied with the rules and sent the film eight weeks before release. Vedaa was screened on June 25 and then advanced for the examining committee's review. Since then, there has been no response regarding the appeal for certification."

Read: Apart from John Abraham and Sharvari, Vedaa also stars Tamannaah Bhatia, Abhishek Banerjee, Ashish Vidyarthi, and Kshitij Chauhan in significant roles.