I&B Ministry on actor Vishal's corruption allegations against CBFC: Extremely unfortunate

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has recently reacted to Tamil actor Vishal's accusations on the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). For the unversed, the actor accused the CBFC of corruption and revealed in a video message how he was left with no option but to pay money to the mediator named Menaga. He shared that he had to pay a sum of ₹ 6.5 lakh for the censor certification of the Hindi version of Mark Antony in two installments. 

2 things you need to know

• After Vishal put allegations on CBFC of taking a bribe from him, the government ordered a probe into the matter.
• The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting stated that they will be taking strict action against the accused people.

Ministry of Information and Broadcasting orders probe

The government ordered an inquiry after Vishal made allegations against the censor board for using corrupt means to certify the Hindu dubbed version of his film Mark Antony. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting shared a statement on X, formerly Twitter, that read,  "The issue of corruption in CBFC brought forth by actor @VishalKOfficial is extremely unfortunate. The Government has zero tolerance for corruption and strictest action will be taken against anyone found involved.  A senior officer from the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has been deputed to Mumbai to conduct an inquiry today itself. We request everyone to cooperate with the Ministry, by providing information about any other instance of harassment by CBFC at jsfilms.inb@nic.in."

(Government to take strict action against those accused in Vishal's case | Image: X)

Vishal accuses CBFC of corruption

Vishal shared a clarification video and said that it was not a promotional act, but the video is about his film Mark Antony. He then addressed a scam and said, "We applied for a certificate online and we had to come in last minute due to some technical issue. But, we were taken aback by what happened at CBFC office in Mumbai. When my person visited the office, we were given an option to pay the price of ₹6.5 lakh and get the certification the same day. We were left with no option."

#Corruption being shown on silver screen is fine. But not in real life. Cant digest. Especially in govt offices. And even worse happening in #CBFC Mumbai office. Had to pay 6.5 lacs for my film #MarkAntonyHindi version. 2 transactions. 3 Lakhs for screening and 3.5 Lakhs for… pic.twitter.com/3pc2RzKF6l

— Vishal (@VishalKOfficial) September 28, 2023

He further added, "We were supposed to give ₹3 lakh for the screening to happen at the CBFC and another ₹3.5 lakh to get the certificate." He also claimed that a woman told them it was quite common that people pay ₹ 4 lakh when they submit films 15 days ahead of the release. "We had no option, we paid the money in two instalments. If this is the case in government offices, I really request higher authorities to look into this matter," he said. Mark Antony is a science-fiction film directed by Adhik Ravichandran. The movie also stars Vishal and SJ Suryah alongside Abhinaya and Ritu Varma among others.