The Chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification, Pahlaj Nihalani brought a new twist to the ongoing censorship row by dragging in the name of former CBFC chief Sharmila Tagore. On Tuesday, Nihalani said that Sharmila had cleared films like Omkara during her tenure, thus setting the trend for films that used bad language.

Speaking to Times Now, Nihalani alleged, “Omkara was her son Saif Ali Khan’s film. The board cleared it on her pressure which set the trend and release of films like Gangs of Wasseypur happened.”

The Quint spoke to Sharmila Tagore for a reaction on the issue, but the actress refused to comment on Nihalani’s allegations.

Nihalani is currently facing the heat for issuing a guideline that bans the use of certain ‘objectionable, abusive’ words in films under any category of certification.

Nihalani also commented that the 1975 blockbuster Sholay had faced censor trouble and was released only after Congress leader Sanjay Gandhi intervened in the matter.