Pahlaj Nihalani: We, at CBFC, are not homophobic

The Central Board of Film Certification chairperson, Pahlaj Nihalani once again came under the line of fire after the reports that Malayalam movie 'Ka Bodyscapes' was denied certification for its homosexual content.

Refuting the allegations that the film was denied certification owing to its homophobic content Pahlaj said, “We, at CBFC, are not homophobic. We’ve passed films like 'Aligarh', 'Moonlight' and 'Parched', which had homosexual themes.”

Pahlaj further revealed that film was not issued a certification owing to the fact that there are certain portions of the film which have derogatory references towards religion. Pahlaj asserted, “No, the reason for rejecting certification to this film is its highly inflammatory references to Hindu religion and mythology. Our guidelines clearly state that any derogatory reference to any religion is absolutely prohibited. So, let’s not even go there.”

When pointed out that Rajkumar Hirani's 'PK' also had a lot of references to religion, Pahlaj said, “I wasn’t the chairperson when PK was certified. If it took digs at religion, then it shouldn’t have been allowed. We can’t allow filmmakers to create a law and order situation in the name of art. If there are riots and protests, are the makers of Ka Bodyscapes willing to take responsibility?”

CREDITS: DECCAN CHRONICLE