Producer, ex-CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani no more

Pahlaj Nihalani, veteran producer and former chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification, also played a key role in launching Govinda and Chunky Panday in the industry

Several Bollywood celebrities attended the last rites of veteran film producer and former CBFC chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani, who passed away on Thursday, at the age of 76

Kabir Singh Bhandari

Veteran film producer and former Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani passed away on Thursday at the age of 76. He had been unwell for the past few months, reportedly suffering from liver-related health issues. The cremation ceremony was held at Santacruz Hindu Crematorium.

Nihalani produced many popular films in the 1980s and 1990s, including Haathkadi (1982), Ilzaam (1986), Aag Hi Aag (1987), Shola Aur Shabnam (1992) and Aankhen (1993). Aankhen is remembered most for its super hit song, O Lal Dupatte Wali. While Ilzaam marked Govinda’s debut, Aag Hi Aag served as Chunky Panday’s first film. In 2015, he was appointed chairperson of the CBFC, a tenure that proved controversial due to his strict censorship guidelines. 

The most contentious moments included shortening kissing scenes in the James Bond film Spectre and sparking a national debate after recommen-ding 89 cuts to the film Udta Punjab. Actor Prosenjit Chatterjee and comedian-actress Guddi Maruti  told the The Free Press Journal  about their memories of Nihalani.  

Prosenjit mourns veteram film producer 

“It’s really sad news. I was doing a Bengali film which was produced by Pahlaj ji, and I was shooting in Bombay where Sonam was also cast, which is how I met him. Then, while doing the shoot, he told me that he has a subject for a movie, which became my Hindi film debut, Aandhiyan (1990), which was directed by David Dhawan. It was Mumtaz ji’s comeback and Shatru uncle was also there. He was a great guy, a producer who had given breaks to all the top actors of our time who became stars. He was a very passionate producer who gave us great films. He loved movies and was a very helpful person. It’s a very sad day for me. I know his children and bhabhiji also. I am in Kolkata, otherwise I would have loved to come and be with them during this time.” 

— Prosenjit Chatterjee, actor and director

Guddi Maruti remembers Pahlaj Nihalani

“He was such a sweetheart. I was part of Shola Aur Shabnam (1992, Govinda and Divya Bharti), Aankhen (1993, Govinda, Chunky Pandey, Raageshwari), and one untitled film which never got completed, which starred Twinkle Khanna. When my dad was alive, Pahlaj ji used to come home in the mornings; that time I was in school. We were always like kids to him. I remember him as a lovely person. It’s something I can’t really put into words because we knew him as children. He was jovial and it was a pleasure working with him. In fact, sometime back I had also asked him, ‘Pahlaj ji, kyun nahi kuch kar rahe?’ And he said, ‘Kya abhi!’, signifying that now it was a different time from when he used to make films. But we used to really have a wonderful time on sets; the whole unit was like a family.” 

— Guddi Maruti, actress