Censor Board supports ‘Love Sonia’

The Central Board for Film Certification (CBFC) and Bollywood filmmakers have had many confrontations in the past. But the board has been accommodating and encouraging towards ‘Love Sonia’, a hard-hitting film on human trafficking. At a special screening of the film in Delhi, members of the board were moved by the film and they passed it without any visual cuts.Female members were particularly happy about one point in the film – you don’t need a man to be a hero – a 17-year-old girl can achieve heroic feats, too.
Speaking about this development, director Tabrez Noorani shares, “The first list from the Censor Board was devastating, as they requested several cuts. We realised that we had two options – one was to accept what they said and release the film or, we had to screen the film for the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) in Delhi. After the FCAT screening, I was really happy with their response. We explained why it was important to keep the film intact and the members engaged in a constructive conversation. Finally, we got no visual cuts at all and that I believe is an indication that things are getting better.”
‘Love Sonia’ is presented by Tamasha Talkies and Samraaj Talkies in association with India Take One Productions, Cinemantra Entertainment and Media & Dynasty Consulting Group. It is produced by Life Of Pi producer David Womark and Tabrez Noorani, co-produced by Amar Butala, with executive producers Shalini Thackeray, Deepak Nayar and Pravesh Sahni. The film will be released by Zee Studios in India on September 14