Censor Board controversies

Sidharth Malhotra's upcoming film has finally been awarded a U/A certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification after few minor cuts adviced by the board and the Ministry of Defence.

The film made headlines when the CBFC asked the makers to get an approval from MoD before they could certify it. According to the latest report, the board made this appeal as the film showcased some real-life scams surrounding army officials and the government, which in turn left some officials miffed. The movie allegedly deals with corruption in certain sections of the army and is believed to be inspired by the famous Adarsh Housing Society scam.

In the film, Naseeruddin Shah, who is doing a cameo, reportedly mentions that the property which is reserved for widows of martyred soldiers will be taken over by politicians and their cronies, a similar incident in 2010 lead to Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan resigning from his post. The CBI is still carrying out investigations on the same.

A source close to the developments said that as the cuts are minor, it won't affect the film.

Sidharth Malhotra and Manoj Bajpayee starrer ‘Aiyaary’ may end up getting postponed once again. The film was initially supposed to release on January 25, 2018, but was pushed ahead due to the release of the much-postponed Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Padmaavat’. The film has recently faced the scrutiny of the Defence Ministry as it asked the producers to make certain changes after a screening of ‘Aiyaary’.

Reportedly, the co-producer of the film Jayantilal Gada said that they might push the release date of the film ahead. Gada reportedly said that there's a strong chance that ‘Aiyaary’ will be postponed to February 16. The team will apparently submit the film to the Central Board of Film Certification only after making the changes. Gada reportedly added that the overseas delivery of the film looks difficult, considering they will not have the censor certificate in time and that will, in turn, affect the India release.

Kapil Sharma’s second film as a protagonist was all set to hit the screens earlier this month on November 10. The release of ‘Firangi’ was then postponed to this Friday Friday 24, 2017, due to various reasons. According to reports, the film was yet to receive a certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The film was initially announced for a November 10 release by Kapil and his team on the social media a while ago and subsequently moved to November 24., and if rumours are to be believed, the new release date is expected to be announced later in the week.


Directed by Rajiev Dhingra, Firangi features Kapil alongside actresses Ishita Dutta and Monica Gill and is set in 1920 India.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Padmavati’ is scheduled to hit theatres on December 1, amid several controversies and threats to stall its release. However, according to reports doing the rounds online, the film has still to be sent to the Central Board of Film Certification. According to the report, the film had to be sent 68 days before its release. However, director Bhansali has yet to go about with the formalities in order to get a scheduled release. According to a CBFC spokesman, the films are reportedly not sent on time leading to undue pressure and unfair criticism of the board which has too little time to certify the application.

If you thought only cuss words face come under the radar of censorship, then the makers of ‘Munna Michael’ were taken for a surprise. According to a Mumbai Mirror report, director, Sabbir Khan informed that when the CBFC members enquired about the choreographer and the dancers, the makers were asked to add a disclaimer to the dance acts. Besides a disclaimer, a few others words like ‘ghanta' and ‘pichwada' were to be muted along with the cranky sound of breaking of bones. As for the gravity-defying dance moves, the disclaimer reads, “It is hereby notified that the stunts and dance displayed in this film are performed by professionals in controlled environments. Do not attempt to duplicate, re-create, or perform them or similar stunts and dances at home, as personal injury or property damage may result. The producer of this film is not responsible for any such injury or damage.”

Reacting to Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chief Pahlaj Nihalani’s objection to the use of the word “intercourse” in his upcoming film, Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan has said neither he nor people associated with Imtiaz Ali’s 'Jab Harry Met Sejal' need to use anything “disrespectful” to sell it.

In one of the ‘mini-trails’ of the Imtiaz Ali movie, Anushka Sharma is seen handing over an ‘indemnity bond’ to Shah Rukh, saying there won’t be any legal ramifications if the couple ends up having intercourse.

This didn’t go down well with Nihalani, who condemned the telecast of the mini-trail which was meant for digital consumption only. After the brouhaha, he demanded that if he gets one lakh votes from the common people in its support, he will clear the usage of “intercourse”.

Asked for his opinion about the whole episode, Shah Rukh told the media in Mumbai on Eid, "I think I am below 18, so I cannot vote (laughs).

"On a serious note, neither I, nor anyone in the film - Imtiaz, Irshad (lyricist Irshad Kamil) sahab, Pritam or anyone would use any disrespectful word, that hurts a family or anyone's sentiment. We are yet to send the film to the censors and they should watch the whole film to decide."

'Jab Harry Met Sejal' is set to release on on August 4.

National Award-winning filmmaker Prakash Jha has found himself gearing up for yet another battle with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) after the committee refused to certify his upcoming film, ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’. The film directed by Alankrita Shrivastava, starring Konkona Sen Sharma, Ratna Pathak Shah, Aahana Kumra and Plabita Borthakur was screened for the Censor Board’s Examining Committee in January. Jha, who is producing the film, was later informed that the film cannot be certified as it is “lady-oriented, their fantasy above life” and contained “contentious sexual scenes, abusive words, audio pornography and a bit sensitive touch about one particular section of society.”

This move caught the attention of actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhar, who took to his social networking handle to post a picture of the letter and lash out at the board for their actions. He shared the picture saying, “Below is the reason CBFC listed for denying #LipstickUnderMyBurkha a release. Keep your barf bag ready…”

Jha, who is presently in London, is understandably enraged by the latest move of CBFC. The filmmaker told Mumbai Mirror, “As a country, we must encourage freedom of expression but the CBFC refusing to certify films that tell uncomfortable stories discourages filmmakers from pushing the envelope. Films should challenge the status quo which is what ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’ perhaps does and I believe our audience deserve to watch it.”

Set in small town India, ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’ chronicles the secret lives of four women in search of a little freedom.

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) granted director Abhinay Deo’s action drama ‘Force 2’ a ‘UA’ certification on Tuesday. However, the board has asked the director to make three cuts in the film, which pertain to the cross-border terrorism and relations between India and Pakistan. The three scenes in question are reportedly ‘vital scenes’ with strong political undertones. Reports claim that the filmmakers are in no mood to take this lying down and have decided to appeal against the cuts to the Revision Committee of the CBFC, as snipping these scenes will affect the “flow of the movie”.

The film’s leading man John Abraham opened up about the same and said that unlike the first installment ‘Force’, the sequel has a strong political message on the cross-border issue. He also said that the film was shot long before the Uri attacks and the cease-fire violations took place. John went on to say that a few events described in the film may appear to “pre-empt to the cross-border activities” that have been going on over the past few months.

‘Force 2’, starring John Abraham, Sonakshi Sinha and Tahir Raj Bhasin, hits theatres worldwide on November 18, 2016.

Much to the surprise of fans and critics alike, the ‘Befikre’ trailer featuring Ranveer Singh, Vaani Kapoor and their kisses has been granted U/A certificate by the Censor Board of Film Certification. The trailer is loaded with intimate kisses between the lead couple. According to a report, CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani justified the decision saying that the images in 'Befikre' are not about the kisses alone but it’s about a whole lot of things, about love and the trailer shows kissing as a manifestation of love rather than just for titillation. He further added that all the kisses are in long shots as it’s only in close-ups that kissing on screen tends to look overblown. Nihalani also went ahead to praise the film's director Aditya Chopra for his aesthetic sense that makes the kissing look natural instead of vulgar. Agree or not?

But it seems to be a different story about the film...

According to reports, the CBFC is ‘apprehensive’ about how so many kisses in the film can be given the go ahead, when films in the past had had to bite the bullet. The film’s latest song ‘Labon Ka Karobar’ raised many eyebrows for its music video that showed a number of couples engaged in steamy make-out sessions on the streets of Paris. Censor Board chief Pahlaj Nihalani, prefers to wait it out and see how the film goes. Nihalani said that as the song was released online, it did not come under their jurisdiction. As for the multiple lip-locks, the chief prefers not to jump to conclusions and see how they fit into the context of the film. Apart from the 27 smooches between the leading stars, the film is also rumoured to be putting his butt on full display. It’ll surely be interesting to see how this film and its release plays out.

It is the battle of the innerwear at the box-office this Friday after the Central Board Of Film Certification reportedly played an unjust hand while issuing certificates to ‘Baar Baar Dekho’ and ‘Freaky Ali’. It was reported early this month that the makers of Katrina Kaif and Sidharth Malhotra’s ‘BBD’ were asked to cut out a bra scene from their film in order to attain a ‘U/A’ certificate. However on the other hand, ‘Freaky Ali’ which features Nawazuddin Siddiqui selling men’s underwear and boxers, was not chopped out of the film.

According to a daily, a source close to the film expressed concerns over what signals the CBFC was sending out over its ‘selective disapproval’ of innerwear scenes. The source questioned if the board was trying to say that they were okay with showing men’s innerwear, but not women’s lingerie on the big screen. The said source also pointed out that a bra scene was shown in Jackie Chan’s ‘Skiptrace’, and went on to question if the ‘BBD’ scene was cut just because it was an Indian film.

‘Baar Baar Dekho’ and ‘Freaky Ali’ hit theatres this Friday, September 9.

Katrina Kaif and Sidharth Malhotra starrer ‘Baar Baar Dekho’ has been granted a ‘U/A’ certificate by the Censor Board Of Film Certification (CBFC). This certification came only after the team adhered to the board’s orders of having two scenes cut from the film. According to reports, the makers were asked to cut a ‘shot of a bra’ and a reference to 'Savita Bhabhi' - the comic book porn character – in order to receive a certification. Angry members of the ‘BBD’ team questioned the board’s decision asking if we lived in the Victorian age where women’s lingerie could never be spoken of in public. As the film has been directed by a female director – Nitya Mehra – the team also argues that using lingerie scenes to titillate the audience are nil. As far as the reference to ‘Savita Bhabhi' is concerned, they questioned why Sunny Leone's name wasn’t cut from ‘A Flying Jatt’. Now that the cuts have been made, the film will hit theatres on September 9.

A few days ago it was reported that Abhishek Chaubey's upcoming film 'Udta Punjab' starring Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor and Diljit Dosanjh has run into trouble with the Censor Board. The movie was rejected by the Examining Committee due to its expletive-laden dialogues and scenes showing drug consumption. Now, according to a report on Spotboye.com, producer Anurag Kashyap has directly approached Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore to clear the film. Unwilling to run the risk of cuts being suggested by the Revising Committee or the Tribunal, the producer decided to skip them altogether and approach the I&B minister, concluded the report.

Move on to the next slide to read about other movies that ran into trouble with the Censor Board...

Our Censor Board has once again highlighted its displeasure over words like ‘lesbian’ and ‘homosexual’. Last year, they muted the word ‘lesbian’ in Yash Raj Films’ ‘Dum Laga Ke Haisha’. This time, Hansal Mehta’s ‘Aligarh’ is at the receiving end. The Censors have given an adult certificate to the film’s trailer purely due to the mention of the word ‘homosexuality’ in it, reported BollywoodLife. This, obviously, hasn’t gone down well with the makers. Starring Manoj Bajpayee and Rajkumar Rao, the film is all set to release on February 26, 2016.

This is not the first time that the Censor Board is embroiled in a controversy. Click the following slide to know why filmmaker Prakash Jha accused the Censor chief of lying…

Ever since he took up the chair last year, Pahlaj Nihalani, the chief of the Censor Board for Film Certification (CBFC), is continuously been slammed by filmmakers for the cuts his suggests in films. The latest filmmaker to have a grudge against the chief is Prakash Jha. He recently expressed his displeasure at the cuts ordered by Nihalani in his film Jai Gangaajal due to the use of abusive language, including the word ‘sala’. However, Nihalani has now stated that Jha isn’t telling the entire story. While talking to PTI, he said, “Prakash Jha had come to us and we had agreed to give him 'A' certificate without any cuts but he wanted U/A certificate. We did not agree to it. He is not telling the entire truth.”

Recently, Ashoke Pandit, himself a Censor Board member, had heavily condemned Nihalani for ordering cuts in Jai Gangaajal. Click the next slide to read his angry reaction…

Filmmakers aren’t the only ones against the strict diktat of the Censor Board Chief, Pahlaj Nihalani. Ashoke Pandit, himself a Censor Board member, has also slammed Nihalani over the months. He has done that again after the Chief decided to give ‘A’ certificate to Prakash Jha’s Jai Gangaajal due to some abusive words and violence. Pandit also pointed out how Nihalani disallowed the word ‘sala’ in ‘Jai Gangaagal’ but was okay with the same in the title of Saala Khadoos. Pointing out the hypocrisy, Pandit angrily Tweeted, “On what basis does #CBFC chairman allow cuss words in a film & not in another? Does it depend on his relationship with d maker?#JaiGangaajal.”

Click the following slide to know why Nihalani got into trouble…

Pahlaj Nihalani, chief of the Censor Board for Film Certification (CBFC), has been in the news for the wrong reasons ever since he took up the chair. He has even gained the nickname ‘Sanskari’, especially after chopping off the duration of kiss scenes in the last James Bond film. Now, to make amends for it, he and his team recently passed trailers of upcoming sex comedies Kya Kool Hai Hum 3 and Mastizaade. But this has got him into trouble, as reported by DNA. The Information and Broadcasting Ministry have sought an explanation from Nihalani for passing the trailers with such “vulgar” content.

Click the following slide to know what Nihalani did with the title ‘Sanskari’…

Filmmaker Pahlaj Nihalani has been mired in controversies ever since he took over as the chief of the Censor Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The latest being his decision to reduce the duration of kissing scenes in the James Bond movie Spectre. For this, he was trolled on social media for being ‘Sanskari’. But Nihalani is unperturbed. So much so that now he has also gone ahead and registered ‘Sanskari’ as a film title. Talking to Mumbai Mirror, he confirmed the news and added, “If you can have a film titled Sanyasi, why can't you have one called Sanskari?” He will be making the film under his own banner. But currently, he is yet to finalize a subject for it.

Click the following slide to know why Nihalani will be happy to quit…

Pahlaj Nihalani: Happy to quit if asked

Rumours were rife about Pahlaj Nihalani’s possible sacking as the Censor Board chief. The reasons mentioned speculated for the same were his strict diktats he issued as the chief and the tribute video that he had made for India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. However, Nihalani has rubbished the reports as mere rumours. He has now been quoted as saying that if the I&B ministry asks him to quit he would be happy to do so, as reported by Bollywood Hungama. He also added that as long as he is the chief, he will continue working as per the ‘guidelines’ no matter how much it irks others.

Click on the next slide to know how Angry Indian Goddesses is being troubled by the Censor Board…

‘Angry Indian Goddesses’ in Censor trouble?

Films facing trouble from the Censor Board has become routing incidents, ever since the censor committee was revived earlier this year. If reports are to be believed, the latest film to come under the scanner of the Censors is Pan Nalin’s Angry Indian Goddesses. According to a news report by NDTV.com, the Censor members have objected to the lyrics of the song ‘Dil Dola Re’ as they feel the phrase can have a double meaning. Owing to this, the song cannot be played on television.

Click the next slide to read Emraan Hashmi’s bold opinion on the Censor Board…

Emraan Hashmi feels Censor’s decisions take us back to the dark ages

When asked to comment on the kiss controversy revolving around the movie, Spectre, Emraan Hashmi had a rather interesting thought to share. The Censor Board has chopped off a large portion of the kiss in the James Bond flick. Reacting to this, Emraan said that such decisions take us back to the dark ages. He feels that the Censors can give ‘A’ certificate to a film instead of chopping scenes. He also added that at a time when the audience is exposed to international cinema, we are making Bollywood regressive with such decisions.

Click on the next slide to know about the Censor Chief’s shocking confession about Spectre…

Censor Board chief hasn’t seen Spectre yet

Spectre, the latest James Bond flick, has been in the news lately for all the wrong reasons. The Censor Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has chopped off a kissing scene in the film by about 20 seconds, which hasn’t gone down well with the audience. The controversy spread further after Pahlaj Nihalani, the Chief of CBFC, defended the cuts during media interactions. However, Nihalani’s claim in an interview with Times Now has stunned everyone. He revealed that he hasn’t seen Spectre at all. He said, “I have not seen the film. It is not my job to watch all movies. In fact, I have not even seen a single shot of the film, including the kiss scene.” When he was further probed as to why was he defending the cuts if he hadn’t seen the film, he added, “My panel members have seen the film.”

Click the next slide to learn about more Censor Board controversies...

Hate Story 3: Daisy Shah's role downsized?

Daisy Shah's role in the movie, Hate Story 3, will be merely 15 to 20 minutes long, reported Mid-day.com. The erotic-thriller has come under the scrutiny of the Censor Board for its bold and dare-to-bare scenes. Daisy plays the 'other woman' in the movie and will feature in two erotic songs in the film. A source has informed that Daisy was supposed to feature in only one song, but due to Salman's intervention, she was included in other tracks as well. Apparently, some portions, featuring the actress, were also chopped off from the film.

Meanwhile, let's see what Sonakshi has to say to the Censor Board chief...

Sonakshi Sinha asks censor board chief to ‘stop playing nanny’

Censor board chief Pahlaj Nihalani has been criticised by several film personalities for reducing the length of a kiss in the Bond film, Spectre. Sonakshi Sinha also expressed her opinion on the issue by stating that international films have never faced such problems in the country, says a report on pinkvilla.com. The actress also went on to say that whoever is ‘playing nanny’ should first think about the kind of films they have been making in the first place. With her remark, Sonakshi indirectly criticised Nihalani's past filmography.

Meanwhile, the CBFC has been quite lenient with a recently released film. Read on to know more...

Censor Board restores cuss words in Paoli Dam’s ‘Yaara Silli Silli’

The Censor Board is often condemned for demanding unreasonable cuts in a film. However, CBFC has been lenient as far as the film, Yaara Silli Silli, is concerned. Starring Paoli Dam of Hate Story fame, the film was reviewed by the Censor Board’s Examining Committee. They had asked for several cuts in the film for portions that contained cuss words. But surprisingly, the Revising Committee asked for the restoration of the cut scenes on the grounds that they were the demand of the script to justify the background of the characters, as reported by DNA.

This move seems to be the beginning of the change. The Censor Board had recently withdrawn the controversial list of cuss words. Know more…

Censor Board withdraws controversial list of cuss words

A controversial list of cuss words that was circulated by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) soon after Pahlaj Nihalani took over as its chairperson, has been withdrawn after a majority of members voted against it, reports PTI. Sources said the issue was discussed in a meeting of the Board held on Friday (July 31, 2015) in Mumbai, where an overwhelming majority of the members felt that rather than banning such words, they should be looked at in the context of the film. “The issue was discussed and most members favoured that the list be withdrawn. And since the overwhelming majority held this view, the decision was taken,” a Board member, who had attended the meeting, said. The controversial list banning the use of “objectionable” and “abusive” words was circulated by its chairperson Nihalani, but the Board had decided to hold its implementation after a massive controversy broke out and it was felt that more consultation is required. Apart from the issue related to the list banning certain words, the ministry is also understood to have discussed issues related to expediting the online certification of films. “The Board also discussed a ‘tatkal’ scheme under which filmmakers who want their film certified at a faster pace can apply for the same by a paying a certain fees,” the member said.


While the withdrawal of controversial list of cuss words in films comes as a relief for the film industry, read on to know why the posters of Phantom were rejected by the Censor Board…

When posters of 'Phantom' were rejected by the Censor Board

The posters of Phantom featuring Katrina Kaif and Saif Ali Khan blindfolded in tricolor were quite a hit with the cine lovers. However, little do the people know that the original posters were not approved by the Censor Board as they had the original national flag complete with the Ashok Chakra used to blindfold the actors, reports Mid-day.com. The Censor Board objected to it and suggested the use of a single colour instead which did not go down well with the makers. So they finally removed the Ashok Chakra from the posters to get the approval, the report stated. For the record, Saif Ali Khan is playing a spy in the counter-terrorism flick while Katrina Kaif plays a journalist in this Kabir Khan directorial.

While the posters of Phantom did get to see the light of the day after alteration, read on to know why Riteish Deshmukh and Pulkit Samrat’s film Bangistan is banned in Pakistan...

'Bangistan' banned in Pakistan

Though Bajrangi Bhaijaan has sent the cash counters ringing across the border, it is apparently the other way around for Riteish Deshmukh and Pulkit Samrat’s satire Bangistan as it has been banned in Pakistan, reports Mumbai Mirror. Reportedly, the film's co producer, Ritesh Sidhwani will fight for it. Quoting Ritesh, the report stated that Pakistan's censor board has taken this decision on the basis of the trailer alone and are thinking that this movie is an anti-terrorism film. In fact, Sidhwani has written to the ministry asking for a review of the decision, the report stated. Further to the report, he has even applied for visas for himself, director Karan Anshuman, and his actors, Riteish and Pulkit, to visit the country, even if only for a day. He wants to show the film to the ministry and the censor board to prove that their intentions are fair, the report concluded.


While the fate of the film in Pakistan remains to be seen, read on to know why Bajrangi Bhaijaan had to face trouble...

'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' spells trouble for Pakistan Censor Board

Salman Khan's recently released film, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, is doing good business in both India and Pakistan. But it seems that the film is becoming a threat for cinema owners in the neighbouring country, or so claims a report on Mid-day.com. According to the tabloid, the chairman of Pakistan Censor Board, Fakhr-e-Alam, has claimed to have received serious threats for certifying Indian films. Alam had praised Salman’s film on his Twitter handle and also stated that the film was not anti-Pakistan. Some haters seem to have not liked this appreciation and because of this, Alam has now requested cinema owners to beef up security around their property. A source was quoted in the report as saying that some people think that the film has anti-Pak implications and hence they are not pleased with the Censor Board's decision to allow the screening of Bajrangi Bhaijaan in their country. Alam is now being targeted as a traitor on social networking sites. He responded to the tweet saying, "Well NOW I am getting LIFE threats....i guess every Pakistani who is buying tickets is also a traitor then." [sic]

While Bajrangi Bhaijaan seems to have troubled Alam, read onto know why the Censor Board has objected to Madhur Bhandarkar's Calender Girls...

Madhur Bhandarkar’s next directorial venture Calendar Girls has landed in trouble with the Censor Board as it has objected to one of the songs in the film, reports Desimartini.com. The song features five models on a beach dressed in bikinis for a calendar shoot. The report further stated that according to sources, the CBFC has suggested that the song be given an A certification and be declared inappropriate for television viewing.

Read further to know why Sunny Deol's upcoming film, Mohalla Assi landed in a controversy with the Censor Board

The Allahabad High Court has sought the Censor Board's response on a PIL seeking direction against clearance to Sunny Deol-starrer Mohalla Assi, alleging that the film hurts religious sentiments. According to a PTI report, Lucknow bench of justices Arun Tandon and Anil Kumar issued notices to Chairman Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), Mumbai and also to the Centre on the PIL, filed by 'Hindu Front For Justice', a group of 11 local lawyers. The vacation bench directed the counsels of both the respondents to seek instructions for filing their responses also regarding the trailer of the film, which has not yet got certification by the BOFC for exhibition and listed the matter for June 30. Petitioners sought a direction to ensure that trailer of the film is not exhibited in any manner, in public or on social media, till the time necessary certificate is granted by the BOFC.
The petitioners alleged that from the trailer of the film, it appears that the "producer, director and actors have acted in most irresponsible manner and have degraded, as if intentionally, the cultural background of the religious place 'Kashi'."It was also alleged that they have "intentionally tried to tarnish the image of Lord Shiva, Hindu saints and women". Chandra Prakash Dwivedi, the director, Vinay Tiwari, the producer and actor Sunny Deol along with other actors have been made opposite parties in the petition.

Read on to know why the Indian Medical Association (IMA) had sent a letter to I & B Minister, Arun Jaitley...

In the first week of May, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) had sent a letter to I & B Minister, Arun Jaitley, complaining against the Akshay Kumar starrer, Gabbar Is Back, alleging that it portrayed the medical fraternity in a negative light. The IMA took offence to a particular scene which showed doctors 'treating' a man who was already dead, with the intention of squeezing out more money from the deceased's family, reports Mumbai Mirror. The letter demanded that the objectionable scene be "immediately withdrawn from the film" which opened on May 1, and till then, the film should be "immediately censored and banned," the report stated. The letter drafted by Dr KK Aggarwal, the National General Secretary of IMA India, demanded a disclaimer at the beginning of the film stating that the offensive scene was only pointing to a few black sheep and not the medical profession in general, the report further stated. "If that doesn't happen, then we would urge doctors to ban not only this movie but all other Akshay Kumar films that will release in future," Dr Aggarwal had warned.

Upon receiving a reply, he told Mirror, "The producers have told us that the film is a work of fiction and also had a disclaimer at the beginning. So we can't say anything to them. We have also sent a notice to the Censor Board asking why they have let the scene pass. Our legal team has advised that we wait for their reply till the month end or else we will move the court against CBFC."

While we wait to see the outcome of this case, read further to know why the title of Katti Batti had to be changed...

After censorship issues becoming overwhelming in India, filmmakers are probably imposing self-censorship to ensure that their films don't get stuck in needless issues with the Central Board of Film Certification. Accordingly, director Nikhil Advani has changed the name of his upcoming film that stars Imran Khan and Kangana Ranaut. According to reports, Nikhil has been quoted as saying that, "The earlier title Saali Kutiya was way too gimmicky. It was not necessary at all. The film is about the highs and lows of a relationship and what really transpires in their lives and how it all gets resolved. There is no point of getting such thing just for the buzz. I loved it but I also agreed on why we should drop it. Katti Batti sums up the idea of the film in the same way! What life is, what love is, what their relationship is is best summed up in this title."

While Nikhil has smartly skirted a brush with the Censor Board, another actress wasn't playing it safe when she lent her support to India's first ad featuring lesbians. Read on to know more...

Actress Preeti Gupta, who stars in the banned film Unfreedom, has shown her support for an Indian ad that has gone viral. Preeti, whose film has been banned in India and which also touches upon the subject of homosexuality, has come out in support for the country's first lesbian advertisement. According to a report on Ibnlive.com, the actress was quoted saying that this was a step towards representing the community in main stream media. She further stated that the ad was progressive and path-breaking and that showing a lesbian couple as normal women was lovely.

While Unfreedom has been banned by the Censor Board, read on to know why CBFC chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani is in the news again and other Censor Board controversies that have made headlines...

CBFC chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani has refused to cut 'Maggi' out of a song in a Sindhi friend's film, reports Mumbai Mirror. 'Banega chand ka chewing gum, chalo fugge udaate hain... Laga ke dal main tadka, chalo Maggi banate hain,' are the lines from a song hummed by four teenagers in the upcoming film, Uvaa. Directed by Jasbir B Bhatti, the film features Jimmy Sheirgill as a cop, and wrestler and Bigg Boss finalist Sangram Singh as a sports teacher. The film follows the four youths who go off the grid after they become embroiled in a gang rape, the report stated. However, the catchy song became a cause of worry for the makers when the popular two-minute noodle snack was banned in several states across India for containing higher than permissible amounts of lead. In the midst of the controversy, chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification, Pahlaj Nihalani, who was the chief guest at the film's music launch, was seen tapping his foot to the Maggi number. When quizzed on the subject, he told Mirror curtly, "It's no big deal. Maggi could be the name of a girl or of any other product. There can be many kinds of Maggi. The Maggi ban has made news only recently. Just because I have ordered some cuts in the past, it doesn't mean that I will cut everything out of a film. It is not my job to edit Maggi from the song. The film could have had some kind of marketing tie-up with the company, who am I to interfere?"

While the brand name wasn't edited out from the song, read further to know why the chairperson was against the use of Salman Khan's name in the film P Se PM Tak...

Kundan Shah humbly acknowledges the fact that, P Se PM Tak could in all probability be his last directorial. But the 67-year old writer-director-producer had been busy battling the Central Board of Film Certification, who have already made numerous cuts to his film, reports Mumbai Mirror. His film, which follows the journey of a prostitute who goes on to become the Chief Minister and is eventually asked to step into the position of the Prime Minister of the country, underwent over 40 audio cuts already. "And they are all because of the dialogues, since, there is not much skin show in my film," said Kundan. The CBFC's diktat to eradicate cuss words from Hindi films created quite a controversy on social media and the Censor Board Chief, Pahlaj Nihalani seems to have become even more stringent after his guidelines went viral. "I was asked to remove the names of all popular figures like Salman Khan, Jayalalitha and Subrata Roy even if they were not being used in a degrading context," the report quoted Kundan.

The director insists that both Pahlaj Nihalani and Ashoke Pandit have been his friends for years and the CBFC is just too scared to rub anyone the wrong way. When contacted, Nihalani said curtly to Mirror, "We have made the necessary cuts and given Kundan Shah the appropriate certificate. When a director has a problem with the Censor Board he can go to the revising committee. But Kundan Shah has made the cuts and accepted the certificate."

But this is not the first time the Censor Board is creating news. Read on to know how Bombay Velvet was dealt with at the Censor Board...

In a major breach, CBFC chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani chose members who initially denied Bombay Velvet a UA certificate, to serve on Revising Committee (RC), reports Mumbai Mirror. Anurag Kashyap's film was cleared with a UA certificate last Friday by the RC, after the Examining Committee (EC) argued that excessive violence and abusive language made it apt for adult viewing. Now, in a letter, a copy of which is with Mirror, it has been revealed that in a complete breach of rules, the RC had the same members (among a few others) who were on the EC. The screening was presided over by CBFC chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani who insisted on three cuts - he snipped a kiss between Ranbir and Anushka, and insisted on editing out the words, 'son of a b***h' and 'haraamzaada', the report stated. Senior Board member, Nandini Sardesai told Mirror she has filed a complaint against Nihalani and his autocratic ways with the Information & Broadcasting Ministry. She's also written to Union I&B Minister Arun Jaitley and Minister of State, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, the report further stated.

Read further to know why Kamal Haasan was irked by the Censor Board...

Actor Kamal Haasan is irked by the Censor Board. At the press conference of his film Uttama Villain, Haasan said that all his films faced problems with the Censor Board, right from Mumbai Express to Vishwaroopam. The actor's film Vishwaroopam was in the news when it faced a threat of being banned in Tamil Nadu. Even the sequel, Vishwaroopam 2 has not see a release yet. Even Uttama Villain created a stir but the film will finally hit theatres. Elaborating further, Haasan said at the press conference that there was no freedom for actors, producers and directors and movies have to be made as per the rules set by the Censor Board.

While Kamal Haasan is unhappy with the Censor Board, read on to know which filmmaker has slammed CB chief, Pahlaj Nihalani.

The fight between filmmaker, Ashoke Pandit and Censor Board chief, Pahlaj Nihalani doesn't seem to resolve and the former has once again slammed Censor Board chief, Pahlaj Nihalani by calling him an 'anarchist.' In his tweets, Pandit has accused Nihalani for illegally restricting Emraan Hashmi-starrer Mr. X's release.

His tweet read, "Finally Mukesh & @MaheshNBhatt get their Censor Certificate which was cleared bt illegally withheld by the Chairman. #MrX #Anarchist." [sic] Pandit has further claimed that producers of MR X, Mahesh Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt, have lost approximately Rs 60 lac because of the delay in the film's clearance.

He tweeted, "Mukesh Bhatt & @MaheshNBhatt lose 60 lacs due to the unnecessary delay of their film by the Chairman of #CBFC. Sad." [sic]

Read on to know what do actors Paresh Rawal and Naseeruddin Shah think about the CBFC's decision of bringing in religious leaders while certifying their film, Dharam Sankat Mein...

According to an IANS report, Dharam Sankat Mein's lead actors Paresh Rawal and Naseeruddin Shah find CBFC's idea of showing the film to religious leaders before passing it, to be very absurd. Paresh Rawal is quoted in the report as saying that calling a pandit and a maulvi to watch a film is a dangerous sign. Agreeing with Paresh, Naseeruddin add that the incident is beyond absurdity. Reportedly, the board's reasoning seems to be that if the religious leaders gave the film a 'clean chit' before certification, it would save the board and the makers from controversies later.

While Paresh Rawal and Naseeruddin Shah have voiced their displeasure with the Board's decision, not everyone is as unhappy. Read on to know more...

According to a report on Pinkvilla.com, actor Om Puri has stated that abusive language should not be encouraged in movies. A former chairman of the National Film Development Corporation himself, Puri was asked if the Censor Board of India was correct while banning the abusive words from featuring in the movies, to which he replied saying that using abusive words 10 times doesn't determine whether the film is going to succeed or not, stated the report. He is against the use of such words and doesn't find it suitable that even the villains should be using them, the report concluded.

While the Censor Board was accommodating when it came to the expletives used in NH10, the skin show in Fifty Shades Of Grey was perhaps a tad too much for them. Read on to know more on how the Bollywood industry has been reacting to the constant interventions of the Censor Board for presenting the films in the typical Indian manner...

According to a report in Mumbai Mirror, after the Censor Board members were reportedly divided on the certification of Anushka Sharma's NH10, the producers took the film to the Revising Committee who watched the film and cleared it with an 'A' certificate. "NH10 has been passed with a few audio cuts and a video cut that does not damage the film at all. They saw it completely in context and even appreciated it. It was a very reassuring revising committee," said Anurag Kashyap, who has co-produced the film with Anushka. NH10 is the story of a woman's revenge, is peppered with expletives and gore. CBFC CEO, Shravan Kimar, points out that the idea is to disseminate information through the process of certification to a cinema loving population about the film's content so it will facilitate the choices they make. "The idea is not to curb the creative freedom of the filmmaker," he maintained.

According to a Reuters report, Indian government censors have said they will not allow the big-screen adaptation of erotic novel, Fifty Shades Of Grey to be shown in cinemas. The film that released worldwide on Valentine's Day, wasn't released in India due to censorship issues. The chief executive of the Central Board of Film Certification, Shravan Kumar, declined to say why the panel refused to approve the film adaptation, but said Universal Pictures, the Comcast Corp unit that released the film, could appeal the decision. A Universal Pictures source familiar with the review process has been quoted in the report as saying that the board had objected to some of the film's dialogue, even after the studio made voluntary edits to the film to tone down its sex scenes and removed all nudity.

The film has grossed at least $400 million in global sales. However, for some countries the kinky story line was too much. Malaysia, Indonesia and Kenya have banned Fifty Shades Of Grey from their theatres, largely because of its sexual content.

Rajyavardhan Rathore will revisit film certification criteria, meet Bollywood representatives every three months, and review the Cinematograph Act 1952. Read on to know more...

Aamir Khan against ban on films

Mr Perfectionist Aamir Khan has always been vocal about his thoughts on issues. While talking to the media about the Censor Board, the actor said that he is against the ban on films.

"Personally, I am against ban on films. I am not in favour of bans. For me rather than banning films there should be a sense of responsibility when we are making movies. In fact, we should be so responsible that there the state Government should not have a Censor body in itself. We all should utilise the power of freedom of speech with responsibility. Just because we are free that doesn't mean I can go and murder someone. We should behave responsibly," said the actor.

The actor also mentioned that it is necessary to understand that the CBFC Central Board of Film Certification is not there to censor films but to certify films, "It is a very important issue. The term we use for Censor Board is wrong. CBFC is a body that certifies films, it is not a Censor Board. I think it is important as an Indian to understand our fundamental rights and raise this issue. We should vibrantly discuss that our freedom of expression should not be curbed. We should try and always protect our freedom of expression," said the actor.

According to a Mumbai Mirror report, Rajyavardhan Rathore will revisit film certification criteria, meet Bollywood representatives every three months, and review the Cinematograph Act 1952. Rajyavardhan, who is the Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, shot down Central Board of Film Cerfication chief Pahlaj Nihalani's order banning use of certain cuss words and expressions in films, the report stated.

The minister reportedly withdrew Nihalani's list, which contained such Hindi words and expressions as haraami, saali and even the city's old name 'Bombay', after film industry delegation met him on February 25, 2015, at his New Delhi office. The Bollywood contingent included producer-director Anurag Kashyap, producers Siddharth Roy Kapur and Mukesh Bhatt, and Uday Singh, CEO of the Indian arm of the Motion Pictures Association of America, read the report. According to Mumbai Mirror's source present at the meeting, Rajyavardhan asked the delegation to just "ignore" Nihalani's list. He agreed with the delegation's view that expletives in a film certified 'adult' need not be beeped out. The issue of smoking supers - ­the mandatory warning that must appear on screen whenever a character lights up, ­was also discussed, the report concluded.

Read further to know what Shah Rukh Khan had to say about banning of cuss words by the CBFC...

CBFC's decision to ban around 28 cuss words has become a raging issue in the Hindi film industry and it has been slammed by many in Bollywood. Shah Rukh Khan feels that instead of banning cuss words, the Censor Board should have more categories. "Censor Board is there to see, analyse and understand whether a film has a negative effect on anyone not only in terms of language but also as a bigger picture. Does it incite any kind of differentiation on religion, caste, creed, colour, sex, name or in any wrong sense? A generic rule for everyone will be strange and difficult to follow. I don't understand why one should have a finalised list of cuss words. But I think these are guidelines and they were always there. Though now everyone is suddenly talking about it, it was always there. I think the Censor Board should have a lot more categories in censorship rather than just U, U/A. We should have more clerical and non-clerical guidance. This might solve some problem," said Shah Rukh.

While Shah Rukh has expressed his view on the Censor Board, read on to know the Board's verdict on Anurag Kashyap's film Bombay Velvet...

According to a report in Mid-day, Anurag Kashyap has been allowed to retain the word 'Bombay' in the title of his upcoming film, Bombay Velvet. The report stated that as per an internal decision taken by the Censor Board, Anurag has been allowed to retain the title of his film. A source was quoted in the report as saying that apart from the cuss words and other issues, the usage of the word 'Bombay' in films was discussed. The conclusion that was reached upon was that a film should be allowed to use the colonial name if it is set in a period before the 'The Maharashtra Restoration of Name Mumbai for Bombay Act' came into effect, the report concluded.


While the Censor Board has given a nod to Bombay Velvet, read on to know why Shabana Azmi thinks it would be better to adopt the US standards of censorship rather than the one we currently follow...

Actress-social activist Shabana Azmi, who had slammed the Central Board of Film Certification's decision to refrain from profanity in films, had appealed to give up the British system of censorship and adopt the American one, whereby the filmmakers are liberal about their own films and censorship. CBFC chairperson Pankaj Nihalani had issued a controversial diktat blacklisting 'offensive' words from Indian films. The decision left many Bollywood celebrities in shock and disagreement and Shabana was one of them.

According to an IANS report, she said, "Censor Board's business is to certify and not censor according to appropriate ages. I think it is very important that we discard the British system, which means you appoint a chief and then you have 30 different people who willingly are chosen according to the political dispensation of the day, which means every five years you expect the morality of your country to change. Instead we should adopt the American system, whereby the filmmakers themselves yield and decide that they don't want a single cut, but they realise that age appropriate behaviour is important. If they have a universal exhibition then they voluntarily give cuts."

Read on to know what Mahesh Bhatt had to say about CBFC...

According to a Mumbai Mirror report, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt rued that we are living in oppressive times and members of the film fraternity, who once fought this battle along with them, have now become the thought police. "The CBFC is free to do what it wishes, but there is no lock, no gate, no bolt that it can set upon the freedom of our minds. This is a battle which they will never win because this is India, not China or Saudi Arabia," he thundered. Pooja Bhatt insisted while speaking to Mirror, "We must have the audacity to go to the Revising Committee or even the Supreme Court. Most people don't have the grit to take on the system but I do." Ashoke Pandit, a member of the Censor Board and President of Indian Film and TV Directors Association, is planning to approach the Information & Broadcasting Ministry with representatives of producers, directors and technical associations, the report further stated. "I'm a filmmaker myself and I don't agree with these creative restrictions on potraying a character. A sex worker will sound like a professor now?" he said to Mirror.

The Censor Board of Film Certification has often been embroiled in controversies over its decisions. Let's take a look at some such issues that made headlines...