CBFC reacts to Vishal’s corruption claims: Accusations bring a bad name to the board

Central Board of Film Certification chairperson Prasoon Joshi has demanded an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against Tamil actor Vishal. This comes after the actor had accused the censor board of corruption for giving his film Mark Antony a censor certificate.

Also read: Mark Antony actor Vishal alleges corruption at CBFC, drops a video 

Vishal’s claims against CBFC

Recently, Vishal had accused that the CBFC is corrupt and claimed that the film body had extorted ₹6.5 lakh from him for getting a censor certification for his film, Mark Antony. The actor claimed that he has proof to back his claims.

Addressing Maharashtra Chief Minister and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his video, Vishal said, "We applied for a certificate online and had to come in the last minute due to some technical issue. But we were taken aback by what happened at the CBFC office in Mumbai. When my representative visited the CBFC office, we were given an option to pay the price of ₹6.5 lakh and get the certification on the same day. We were left with no option."

CBFC: Allegations are a matter of concern

The CBFC wrote a letter against Vishal who accused the board of corruption for screening his film Mark Antony and getting a U/A certification for Hindi version.

Also read: Madras High Court warns Mark Antony actor Vishal for THIS reason 

In the statement, the board wrote that they are concerned about these allegations and therefore demand a CBI inquiry against the complaint. The statement went on to state that if any official is found guilty of the crime, then serious action will be taken against them for extorting money from producers.

The CBFC fears that such accusations will bring a bad name to the board and sent a copy of the complaint to the CBI to redeem its image.

I&B Ministry responds to Vishal’s complaint

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting responded to Vishal's complaint on X (formerly Twitter) and said that a senior officer has been assigned to conduct an inquiry as soon as possible. The post stated that the government has zero tolerance for corruption.

Responding to the ministry’s reply, The Producers Guild of India posted on their social media handle that "We're here to support a transparent, corruption-free industry."

Directed by Adhik Ravichandran, Mark Antony stars Vishal, SJ Suryah, Ritu Varma, Sunil and others in key roles. The Tamil film was released in theatres on September 15; the Hindi version was released on September 28.