More than a week after challenging Mirror Now about garnering at least one lakh votes to clear the word ‘intercourse’ in Imtiaz Ali’s Jab Harry Met Sejal‘s trailer, CBFC Chief Pahlaj Nihalani now plays a sore loser; he refuses to comment on retaining the word.
Miffed by the use of the word in the trailer, Nihalani went on record to say that he would clear it in the promo if he got one lakh votes of support from the public. In an interview to Mirror Now, he had earlier said: “You take voting from the public and I will clear the word (intercourse) on the promo and the film also. I want 1 lakh votes and I want to see that India has changed and Indian families want their 12-year-old kids to understand the meaning of this word (intercourse). I’d accept votes only from people who are married and above the age of 36.”
Mirror Now, after receiving all the votes, approached a rather awkward Nihalani at a elevator and confronted him on keeping up his promise. The CBFC chief, however, chose to remain mum about it and dodge the questions.
Mr.Nihalani, why are you silent now?
First he challenges, then he shirks!
Censor boss has nothing to say to @MirrorNow. #SanskariNihalani pic.twitter.com/XiLw8P9tBM— Mirror Now (@MirrorNow) June 30, 2017
Speaking to Indian Express, Nihalani questioned those who would be comfortable to use the word ‘intercourse’ in front of kids.
“We have had no problem with the word (intercourse) being used for the digital trailers. But we cannot give an UA Certificate to the particular trailer with the word in it. To air the trailer on TV one needs a ‘U’ certificate, since even children watch it on TV. Will you be comfortable using the word in front of your children? The makers of the film have not come back to me, so I don’t know why the media is judging our work. We are only following the guidelines, we are doing our work.”
He also went on to talk about the reporter who asked for his reaction at the elevator, saying that he couldn’t talk about sex with someone old enough to be a daughter.
Meanwhile, the Internet has come alive with memes and videos taking digs at Nihalani’s visibly awkward elevator interaction and regressive views.
Comedian and VJ Jose Covaco and Cyrill D’Abreo said:
There were other people in the lift with Pahlaj Nihalani and it was awkward for all of us. pic.twitter.com/nkFzNmOj3y
— José Covaco (@HoeZaay) July 1, 2017
Standup comedian Sorabh Pant made this revelation.
Pahlaj Nihalani was born through immaculate misconception.
— Sorabh Pant (@hankypanty) June 29, 2017
Bollywood refuses to unite for each other.
For censorship, FoE etc.
It allows guys like Pahlaj Nihalani etc. to run over them.— Sorabh Pant (@hankypanty) July 2, 2017
And, there was Bombay Times’ Homer Simpson reference:
Reporter: Sir, we got the 1 lakh votes you asked for, to clear the word #intercourse in #JabHarryMetSejal.
Pahlaj Nihalani: pic.twitter.com/l4AK5a8dWg
A D V E R T I S E M E N T— BombayTimes (@bombaytimes) July 1, 2017
Jab Harry Met Sejal is a romantic drama directed by Imtiaz Ali, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma. The film is scheduled to release on August 4.
