Any attempt to malign its image will not be tolerated: CBFC on Vishal's allegations

New Delhi: On the allegations corruption levelled by Tamil actor Vishal, CBFC on Friday said it has taken note of the allegations being reported very seriously. 

"CBFC has zero tolerance for corruption. The strictest action will be taken against anyone found involved and we shall get into the root cause," the censor board said in a statement after the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting set up an inquiry.

However, the board said that despite the online certification system i.e. E-Cinepramaan in place and regular updates on new system improvements for the film producers/applicants, film producers still choose to apply through intermediaries or agents.

"This goes against the objective of eliminating third-party involvement in the certification process," CBFC said.

"Meanwhile, any attempt to malign the image of CBFC will not be tolerated," it added.

Earlier, I&B Ministry ordered an inquiry in the Mumbai office of CBFC after Vishal alleged that he had to pay money to receive a certificate for the Hindi release of his movie "Mark Antony".

Vishal had levelled the allegations of corruption in the Mumbai office of CBFC in a post on microblogging site X on Thursday, saying that he had to pay Rs 6.5 lakh for the screening and certification of "Mark Antony".

"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," the I&B ministry tweeted on Friday.

The ministry also urged people to cooperate and share information about "any other instance of harassment by CBFC".

Official sources said Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur has directed maximising use of technology to ensure transparency in slotting and implementation of faceless systems wherever possible.

Vishal's sci-fi film "Mark Antony", directed by Adhik Ravichandran, was released in Hindi on Thursday. The movie also features S J Suryah, Ritu Varma, Sunil, Selvaraghavan and Abhinaya.

In his post on X on Thursday evening, Vishal made an appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to investigate the "scam" that transpired at the CBFC's Mumbai office.

"Due to some technical issues, we applied for the Hindi censor certificate online at the last minute. But we were taken aback by what happened at the CBFC office in Mumbai.

"On Monday, when my person visited the office, there was an option given to us -- to pay Rs. 6.5 lakh for the certification the same day. We were left with no other option. We were asked to pay Rs 3 lakhs first, just for the screening. The rest Rs 3.5 lakh were for the certificate," the actor had claimed.

Vishal also claimed that a woman official told their team that it was a common practice at the CBFC where filmmakers would pay money for receiving censor clearance.

"Those who want the certificate in 15 days, they have to pay Rs 4 lakh. We had no other option, so we paid the money in two instalments and I got the certificate. Today, my film was released in north India. But this is very saddening.

"If this is the case in government offices, I really request higher authorities to look into this matter," the actor had claimed.