New Delhi: A day after Tamil actor Vishal alleged that he had to pay a bribe of Rs 6.5 lakh to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), commonly known as the ‘censor board’, to get the Hindi version of his new film Mark Antony certified, the Union Information and Broadcasting ministry ordered an ‘immediate inquiry’. On Thursday, Vishal took to X and appealed to the Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to look into the rampant corruption in the censor board. He alleged that although there was an online system in place for certification of films, producers like him had to rely on “agents” to get their films certified without any hassles. Citing that he had to pay Rs 6.5 lakhs in two tranches to two agents, he revealed the details of the fund transfer to two bank accounts allegedly owned by “mediators”. He said since a significant amount of money was at stake, he had no option but to bribe the mediators, and was “taken aback” by the corrupt functioning in the censor board’s Mumbai office. #Corruption being shown on silver screen is fine. But not in real life. Cant digest. Especially in govt offices. And even worse happening in #CBFC Mumbai office. Had to pay 6.5 lacs for my film #MarkAntonyHindi version. 2 transactions. 3 Lakhs for screening and 3.5 Lakhs for… pic.twitter.com/3pc2RzKF6l— Vishal (@VishalKOfficial) September 28, 2023“We were left with no other option. We were asked to pay Rs 3 lakh first, just for the screening. The rest Rs 3.5 lakh was for the certificate,” Vishal had said.Vishal’s film Mark Antony released on Friday, September 29, 2023. Immediately after his post became viral, the I&B ministry ordered an inquiry and responded on X. “The government has zero tolerance for corruption and strictest action will be taken against anyone found involved.”“A senior officer from the Ministry has been deputed…to conduct an inquiry today,” it stated, urging people to share information about “any other instance of harassment by CBFC”.The Indian Express reported that I&B additional secretary Neerja Sekhar was sent to Mumbai to conduct the said inquiry and submit a report to the ministry at the earliest. The CBFC, too, released a statement indirectly pinning the responsibility on applicants for the alleged corruption. It said that despite the online certification process, applicants still chose to apply through intermediaries or agents, thereby keeping the system of third-party involvement alive and kicking. However, it added that the involvement of agents has drastically come down after the online certification process came into being. The institution’s chairman Prasoon Joshi and CEO Ravinder Bhakar said that the allegations are being taken very seriously and the censor board will take “strictest action” against anyone found guilty of corruption. But it also warned anyone against “any attempt to malign the image of CBFC”. The Indian Film and Television Directors’ Association also said that it was concerned over the allegations made against CBFC by Vishal, and demanded a CBI inquiry.