Pahlaj Nihalani’s list of 28 cuss words put on hold as Arun Jaitley intervenes

NEW DELHI: The infamous list of 28 cuss words that were sent to producers by Censor Board chief Pahlaj Nihalani, causing a wave of outrage among filmmakers has been put on hold, most likely after intervention at the ministerial level.

According to sources, I&B minister Arun Jaitley made a call to Nihalani over the weekend and gave him a “dressing down” over his recent actions. The chief was asked to act responsibly and keep in mind the impact the decisions of the Censor Board on the youth and society. Jaitley could not be reached for comments. “It has been discreetly conveyed to the Censor Board chief that he needs to think about the implications of his actions and words,” a senior official in the ministry said.

Official sources said the ministry was not amused at the outrage generated by the chief ’s list and his volubility. Speaking to ET, Nihalani denied that the cuss words were taken back after the intervention from the government, but because the “Censor Board decided to do so after a meeting”. He, however, refused to speak on the issue.

Nihalani had earlier defended the list issued by the Censor Board, saying he was only following the guidelines of the ministry and that anyone having a problem with the guidelines should approach the I&B ministry. A senior official in the ministry said that regardless of the status of the rules, Nihalani could have avoided raking up the issue by sending it to filmmakers.

This week Union minister Babul Supriyo met MoS (I&B) Rajyavardhan Rathore and discussed the ban. The ministers also met filmmakers on Tuesday.

Pahlaj Nihalani did not comment when asked if Jaitley had spoken to him on this issue.