Controversies, complaints forced Pahlaj Nihalani's exit as CBFC chief?

New Delhi: After much ado and controversies the Centre finally decided to sack Pahlaj Nihalani as the chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification five months before his term could come to an end.

The controversial CBFC chairman, who was apparently rewarded to head the CBFC for his now famous pre-election slogan, “Har har Modi-Ghar, Ghar Modi”, was replaced by lyricist, poet and adman Prasoon Joshi.

Sources in the I&B ministry revealed that with complaints and controversies piling up against Mr Nihalini, the ministry asked him to step down before his term ended.

Mr Nihalani, who led the Censor Board from one controversy to another was appointed in January 2015.

An official statement by the I&B ministry on Friday stated that Mr Joshi has been appointed as the chairperson of the CBFC for a period of three years under the Cinematograph Act. It was Mr Joshi who penned the anthem for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachch Bharat Abhiyan.

Besides his running feud with the film fraternity over his controversial decisions to clip scenes, dialogues and refusal to certify Mr Nihalani hit headlines for a propaganda video dedicated to the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi called “Mera Desh Hai Mahaan, Mera Desh Hai Jawaan”. It was alleged that most of the achievements shown during the course of the video didn’t have anything to do with India. There had apparently been major pressure on the government to remove Mr Nihalini, who had once said “I am proud to be a Modi chamcha.”