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Ex Indian censor board chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani was sacked months before his tenure was due to end, and he's not happy about it.

In an interview with YouTube channel Lehren TV, Nihalani bares all; taking a dig at Kabir Khan and how Lipstick Under My Burkha and Udta Punjab only received footfall in cinemas due to the publicity gained through the hue and cry against the Indian censor board.

"If Lipstick hadn't received so much publicity [due to the CBFC refusal], then it would have been a no-show," said the ex-chairman.

Lipstick Under My Burkha had been in a tussle with the CBFC for months as the censor board claimed "the story is lady-oriented," it was only after it went to the Tribunal for a final viewing that the film was allowed to pass.

Speaking on the Udta Punjab controversy he said, "[The] Ministry told me not to pass Udta Punjab because it was very controversial. There was a lot of pressure from many sides to not pass the picture, from Punjab from everywhere."

But once the revising committee gave it a date, Nihalani gave the proposed cuts taking help from the CBFC guidelines and passed the film. "The cuss words have been on the list since 2003, I didn't make it up, I was just abiding by it."

He added, "Anurag Kashyap wanted to promote his film through this, so they highlighted the problem (CBFC's refusal)."

According to him, the Home Ministry even had a problem with Salman Khan starrer, Bajrangi Bhaijaan. They had sent Nihalani a letter months in advance ordering him not to clear the film.

"For Bajrangi Bhaijaan, the Home Minister had told me not to release the film during Eid - because of the title and it was Eid and because of the law and order situation," Nihalani said stating that he wrote back to the ministry multiples times seeking permission to clear the film.

He added that despite trying his best to release all the films, he is always made out to be the villain. "I have gone out of my way, I was aware of the misunderstanding between the government and the media industry, so I supported it [Bajrangi Bhaijaan] - Salman Khan was after me."

Nihalani also took a dig at Tubelight director Kabir Khan. "He is a useless fellow, he's completely unprofessional," he said. "Even after releasing all his films without any cuts, he has always spoken against me - without any reason, without [having faced] any problems."

"If you cannot give a good film with Salman Khan - today he is a superstar - then where do you stand?"