Finally, the news that we’ve been all waiting for has come. Pahlaj Nihalani, the Censor Board chief that we love to hate, has been sacked from his position and replaced by renowned lyricist Prasoon Joshi. 

Nihalani has been a nuisance and asked for cuts left, right and centre from various films like Lipstick Under My Burkha, Uddta Punjab and Dum Laga Ke Haisha (he muted the word ‘lesbian’ as if people don’t know it, already). 

We hope that Prasoon Joshi will be more progressive, and allow better freedom of expression. We love him as  a lyricist, and can’t get enough of his songs from movies like Rang De Basanti and Taare Zameen Par. 

Previously, we had done a post on the people who should replace Nihalani once he loses the job. We hadn’t assumed Prasoon Joshi at all, but well, sometimes surprises are nice. 

“This is not an industry of irresponsible people but of creativity. A film maker has no intent of making a film to spoil society but, one should recognize his talent and effort behind it,” Joshi had said at the launch of Margarita With A Straw, criticizing the Censor board.

Surely, with Nihalani gone, filmmakers can take up bolder subjects without fear as nobody wants to make a film that does not get released, or its content and essence is tampered by a third party. 

Recently, Nihalani had asked for the ban of people being shown drinking and smoking in films because it puts a bad impression on people. “We feel the superstars who are followed by millions and who  set an example in societal behaviour must not be shown drinking or smoking on screen unless  the provocation for doing so is really strong,” he said. Surely, if the country was daft enough to let this man continue, we would stop having great films like Devdas and No Smoking. 

Hopefully, with Prasoon Joshi at the helm, we can say “Acche Din Aa Gaye.”