Did Nihalani object to a scene in Mukesh Bhatt's Raaz Reboot?

Controversy seems to be the other name of the Censor Board chief Pahlaj Nihalani. After Udta Punjab and Baar Bar Dekho, it's now Raaz Reboot that has brought him into the limelight for the wrong reasons. Directed by Vikram Bhatt, the films stars Emraan Hashmi, Kriti Kharbanda and Gaurav Arora in the lead.

As per sources, producer Mukesh Bhatt has gone on record stating that his film has been cleared with no cut with an A certificate. But sources reveal something to the contrary. Apparently, there's a scene in the film where Kirti's character is possessed by the demon, and she uses the F word 35 times. As usual a very critical Censor Board chief objected to the scene and ordered a cut. If this is to be believed, then Bhatt's claim comes under the scanner.

The controversy has opened a can of worms before the film's release on September 16. We wait to hear the truth.

'Thank you Pahjajji,' Kashyap might be wondering deep down

There’s no stopping Anurag Kashyap and his team. A film many were not even aware of a month back, is now on everybody’s lips. Udta Punjab starring Shahid Kapur, Kareena Kapoor and Alia Bhatt is trending on social media. Thanks to the producers’ stand-off with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) over the cuts ordered by the latter, the film has unexpectedly got unprecedented publicity. The tiff may be uncalled-for much to the anger of Kashyap (one of the producers), yet deep down he must be elated at the fact that he hasn’t had to put that extra effort to promote the film.

Perhaps, if Udta Punjab goes on to break box-office records, everyone associated with the film should thank CBFC’s chairman Pahlaj Nihalani. Had he not raised objections to some scenes in the movie, it wouldn’t have garnered so much of attention. Let’s not get into the details of what actually transpired since it has already been written about, what is noteworthy is the undue publicity Nihalani has given to the film.

Call it political pressure or misuse of office, Nihalani unknowingly with his actions has everybody talking about Udta Punjab. Mahesh Bhatt, Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Shatrughan Sinha, Amarinder Singh, Arun Jaitley, Arvind Kejriwal—the list is endless. Such an impact the film has had, that the Prakash Singh Badal government in Punjab has introduced a programme called Ubharda Punjab (Rising Punjab) to tackle the drug menace in the state, Udta Punjab talks about. As per reports, the programme was launched on April 16 a few days after the film’s trailer launch.

If we rewind, never before a Hindi film in recent times, has created such a hype the ripples of which are felt cutting across professions. Rest assured, Udta Punjab will have a big opening whenever it releases-- perhaps the biggest so far this year. And if the contents (the point of the debate) are lauded by the audiences, Kashyap and his co-producers will be smiling their way to the bank.

Like in politics, there’s no permanent friendship or enmity in the world of showbiz. Don’t be shocked if Kashyap and Nihalani bury the hatchet and jointly produce a film in the future-- may be a sequel to Udta Punjab. After all, the CBFC chairman has done such a big favour to Kashyap.

On the other hand, if the film bombs at the box-office, all hell will break loose. But, let’s stay positive and pray for peace and harmony…