CBFC has mellowed its stance on Hollywood films

'Spotlight,' a biographical expos' of paedophilia in the Catholic Church and its cover-up, has been passed by Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) without any cuts but an 'A' certificate. With religious intolerance being an issue of raging debate in the country, many feared the film may not see the light of day. 'We thought a certain section of society might take offence to it citing the reason that it would hurt their sentiments and the Censor would not pass the film at all. However, it went to the revising committee of the CBFC and has been passed with no cuts and an 'A' certificate, which is a huge respite for moviegoers and the makers.Only the statutory warning against smoking will be seen,' revealed a source.
When asked if the newly-constituted panel had any role to play in this decision, Censor Board chief Pahlaj Nihalani stated, 'It was CBFC's decision. The new panel had no role to play in this. They are reviewing the guidelines and will hand over the report to the government. The film went to the revising committee because there must have been no unanimous consensus among the members.'
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Another Oscar-nominated film 'The Danish Girl' was cleared even without being sent to the revising committee. It dealt with a bold subject (transgender biopic) and had scenes with frontal nudity. 'The board has been prudish about sex and violence over the years. Though it was beautifully shot, nobody expected to see the film's uncut version in India. Surprisingly, it was passed with no cuts and an 'A' certificate. Nothing was blurred either. Passing a movie without any cuts was a huge challenge last year, even with an 'A' certificate,' an industry insider says.
He adds, 'Maybe some internal diktat has been passed. Else, how can the board become so liberal all of a sudden? It could be due to the Oscar hype or the outrage over reducing the kissing scene in 'Spectre.' This year, things have changed, at least for the English films.'
A Hollywood film buff, however, begs to differ. He says, 'Quentin Tarantino's recent film was cut a lot. Also, 'Spotlight' has no objectionable language or nudity. The 'A' certificate will keep a lot of young audience away. I think the board is viewing every film differently and that is a huge achievement. Each film has a certain sensibility. Not all scenes that depict sex or violence are for titillation.'
WATCH: Spotlight - Official Movie Trailer (2015) | Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton