Centre REACTS To Vishal's Corruption In Censor Board Allegation, Promises 'Inquiry Today Itself'

The central government has reacted to Tamil actor Vishal’s ‘corruption in Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC)’ allegation. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting took to its official X (formerly known as Twitter) account on Friday and shared that a senior officer has been asked to conduct an ‘inquiry today itself’ into the issue. It further ensured that strict action will be taken against those involved in corruption.

“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 ministry wrote.

This comes a day after Vishal left everyone shocked and alleged that he was asked to pay a bribe worth Rs 6.5 lakh to get the Hindi version of his latest film Mark Anotny released. In his post on X, he stated that he paid Rs 3 lakh for screening and Rs 3.5 lakh to obtain a U/A certificate through a detailed back transaction.

Later, in an exclusive interview with News18 Showsha, Vishal said, “I had two reasons to pay Rs 6.5 lakh. One was to get my film released because a lot was at stake. That’s the price I paid to get the truth out. It was very alarming. I’ve never faced something like this in my career. I can’t fight against corruption only on the silver screen. I got to see corruption in real life and that too in a government office. They can’t take money from producers so casually to justify giving them a certificate. I’m not doing an adult or a porn film. I was applying for a film that was already been certified and released in South India. Maybe I went there late. But Rs 6.5 lakh for a certificate?”

Vishal further shared that he called out CBFC in order to safeguard future producers. “I deliberately didn’t pay in cash so that I’ve a record of the transaction. I want to safeguard future producers and make sure that the higher officials take some kind of action. That’s why I tagged the Honourable Prime Minister of India and the Honourable Chief Minister of Maharashtra. We need to be assured that if there’s corruption, action needs to be taken,” he added.