CHENNAI: Following actor Vishal's shocking allegation about bribery in the CBFC for film certification, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has taken cognisance and deputed a senior official to probe the matter.

The ministry, in a statement, has termed Vishal's allegation as "extremely unfortunate" and promised the "strictest action" against those involved.

The response comes in the wake of Vishal's allegation that officials in the Mumbai CBFC office have sought a bribe of Rs 6.5 lakhs for certifying his film Mark Antony's Hindi version. He said that the preview charges usually range between Rs 20,000-25,000.

The government has informed that a senior officer from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has been sent to Mumbai to conduct an inquiry. It also has provided an email ID (jsfilms.inb@nic.in) to reach out to in case of similar harassment by CBFC.