Spectre, Titli... when Censor Board fury took over these films

The government finally took a big decision as it more or less clipped the wings of Central Board of Film Certification’s chief Pahlaj Nihalani on Friday. CBFC appointed Shyam Benegal as the head of a three-member committee to oversee the functioning the board.

The decision is being hailed as a welcome step by many, owning to the rather strict approach taken by the board last year. While a word like ‘lunch’ got muted from Angry Indian Goddesses, just because a woman used it for a man in the movie. The censor board went on to tell the world how long should a kiss last and had ‘good reason’ to shorten the kissing scene in Spectre.

‘Would you like to do sex in your house with the door open and show to people the way you are doing sex?’ was CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani’s explanation to the whole controversy surrounding the edits made in the movie.

Actor Sarah-Jane Dias, who was part of the Angry Indian Goddesses isn’t too pleased with the censor board members and says that she finds it completely illogical to mute certain words from their movie. She says that the film was released in other countries and nowhere else did they face this issue, but in their own country.

Read: Less kissing, no swearing: James Bond gets a ‘sanskari’ makeover

Angry Indian Goddesses review: Nothing angry about this film

Filmmaker Madhurita Anand, whose film Kajarya received accolades across the globe, thanks her stars that her movie was passed by the censor board before the new chief was appointed. She feels that during the time of the present censor board members, her movie, based on female infanticide, would not have hit the screen.

Watch Spectre trailer here:

However, Anand is very determined on picking up bold subjects and making more such movies because she feels that this is how they can challenge the censor board. “Filmmakers should keep challenging the censor board, the day we surrender and make movies according to their will, there won’t be any freedom left for us,” she says.

Films that faced the wrath in 2015

1. Angry Indian Goddesses

2. Spectre

3. Masaan

4. Margarita With A Straw

5. Tamasha

6. Badmashiyan

7. Badlapur

8. Prem Ratan Dhan Payo

9. Dum Laga Ke Haisha

10. Titli

11. NH10