No objections! Sacked CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani to present Raai Laxmi’s bold film ‘Julie 2’

Pahlaj Nihalani, who was recently sacked from the post of Chairman of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) few days ago, is back in the film industry. Nihlani, often criticised for censoring the content of the films, will this time be ‘presenting’ the upcoming ‘bold, beautiful and blessed’ sequel to the 2004 Neha Dhupia's erotic film, Julie.

Speaking to Mumbai Mirror, director Deepak Shivdasani said, “I started writing the script in 2012 and had discussed the idea with Pahlajji then. He loved it. He is family and after seeing it with his wife recently, he told me ‘Yeh film ab meri hai, (this film is mine)’ and will be presenting it.”

When he was asked about the racy material, especially with regard to Nihalani’s controversial stance on similar films, Deepak said: “It’s a content-driven film and Pahlajji had no objections to any of the scenes.”

Well this is not the first time that Nihalani has been associated with controversies - during his career as producer, he made several films, such as Andaz and Aankhein, that included suggestive scenes.

Also Read: Prasoon Joshi to be new CBFC chief, all you need to know about him

When asked about Julie 2’s themes, Nihalani told the Mirror: “Julie 2 should be given an ‘A’ certificate without any cuts. There is no vulgarity, obscenity or even a language problem. This is a hot seat, you have to be careful with guidelines which are perfect and only the rating system we require.”

Instead, he said Julie 2 would be doing aspiring actors a favour by not sugar-coating the realities of the industry. “My family loved Julie 2, it’s a bold thriller about how talented people come into the industry and then are forced to compromise. It’s a good expose with a message for aspiring actors who come from across the county and don’t get the right people or platform.”

Julie 2 is scheduled to release on October 6. It stars Raai Laxmi in the lead role.

Also Read: CBFC chief Prasoon refuses to comment on Pahlaj, says Censor’s aim is to fix error in creative works