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Pahlaj Nihalani, Censor Board chief who blocked 'Lipstick Under My Burkha' and demanded 89 cuts in 'Udta Punjab', is no more
- On Thursday, veteran film producer and former Central Board of Film Certification chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani died at age 76; family friend Shashi Ranjan confirmed the death after Nihalani battled liver-related ailments at Nanavati Hospital in Mumbai.
- Born into a Sindhi family in 1950, Nihalani became a Bollywood mainstay, debuting as a producer with Haathkadi in 1982 and achieving major commercial success with Aankhen in 1993 while serving as president of the Association of Motion Pictures and TV Programme Producers for twenty-nine years.
- Appointed CBFC chairperson in 2015, Nihalani's tenure sparked intense debate over censorship decisions, including demanding cuts to the James Bond film Spectre and ordering extensive edits to Udta Punjab, which the Bombay High Court ultimately overruled, requiring only one cut.
- Industry figures including director Hansal Mehta, producer Mukesh Bhatt, and actor Swara Bhaskar criticized his certification approach; Nihalani maintained he followed board guidelines until his 2017 replacement by lyricist Prasoon Joshi.
- Following his CBFC departure, Nihalani produced Rangeela Raja in 2019; industry bodies confirmed his cremation is scheduled for 3 pm Thursday at the Santacruz Hindu Crematorium in Mumbai.
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources35
Leaning Left2Leaning Right4Center3Last UpdatedBias Distribution45% Right
Bias Distribution
- 45% of the sources lean Right
45% Right
L 22%
C 33%
R 45%
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