‘Is Vivek Oberoi even getting films anymore?’: Pahlaj Nihalani digs up their old feud

Pahlaj Nihalani reacted to the controversy around Udta Punjab and Vivek Oberoi's statement about ‘not dealing with him’ in web space.

Filmmaker Pahlaj Nihalani is known for his controversial stint as Chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) between 2015 and 2017. In a recent interview with Pinkvilla, the filmmaker revisited the storm around Udta Punjab and took a sharp swipe at actor Vivek Oberoi for an old remark about being relieved to work in the digital space without having to “deal with him."

Pahlaj Nihalani reacts to Vivek Oberoi's old statement about not having to deal with him.

Back in 2016, Pahlaj had refused to certify Abhishek Chaubey’s directorial Udta Punjab without the cuts he demanded. He has now clarified that co-producers Jeetendra and Balaji Motion Pictures’ CEO visited the CBFC office to accept the certificate along with the cuts. However, according to him, Anurag Kashyap’s Phantom Films resisted the release until six days before its premiere, claiming the film was not “hot enough.”

He further claimed that CBFC had cleared the film’s language wherever necessary, only muting cuss words without cutting a single frame. During the conversation, Pahlaj was reminded of Vivek Oberoi’s 2017 remark that he was glad to be working in the digital space since it meant not having to deal with the then CBFC chief.

Pahlaj Nihalani hits back at Vivek Oberoi's old statement

Reacting to Vivek’s statement, Pahlaj said, “Whenever Vivek Oberoi meets me, he greets me very warmly. Now, if he has to say something… is he even getting any films anymore? Or making any OTT films? If he likes vulgarity, he should do it in his personal life. Why do it in films?”

What Vivek Oberoi had said

Speaking at India Today’s Mind Rocks 2017 while promoting his web series Inside Edge, Vivek had remarked, “The most satisfying thing about working in a web series is that you don’t have to deal with Pahlaj Nihalani.”

Pahlaj was appointed CBFC chief on 19 January 2015, and during his tenure, several films faced cuts or delays due to his rigid enforcement of guidelines. He was eventually sacked on 11 August 2017, after which lyricist and filmmaker Prasoon Joshi was appointed as his successor by then I&B Minister Smriti Irani.

Vivek Oberoi’s recent and upcoming work

Vivek was last seen in Kesari Veer, a historical action film directed by Prince Dhiman, which released in May this year. Despite featuring Suniel Shetty, Akanksha Sharma and Sooraj Pancholi in pivotal roles, the film underperformed, collecting only ₹1.44 crore worldwide and receiving mixed reviews.

He is currently shooting for Masti 4 alongside Aftab Shivdasani and Riteish Deshmukh. Directed by Milap Zaveri, the film also features Elnaaz Norouzi and Ruhii Singh in key roles. The release date has not yet been announced.