The former chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), Pahlaj Nihalani, is a film producer in Indian cinema. He started his career as a producer in the industry with the film 'Haathkadi' in 1982, followed by 'Aandhi Toofan' in 1985. His third movie 'Ilzaam' also marked the debut of Bollywood actor Govinda in Hindi cinema. Over the next decade, he produced many movies, which marked the debut for several popular actors. Some of the hits produced by Nihalani in the 1990s include 'Shola Aur Shabnam' and 'Aankhen'. In 2008 and 2012, he made acting and directorial debuts, respectively. In 2015, Nihalani became the chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification. He changed many rules and guidelines of censorship in his tenure. In 2017, however, he was sacked from CBFC allegedly due to his erratic public persona. But he claimed that he was removed by the government since he did not allow the release of 'Indu Sarkar', a film on India's emergency period during 1975-77.