The latest James Bond movie, Spectre, has been slapped with with four cuts, including Daniel Craig’s passionate kisses. The CBFC chief clarifies to Born of Web that kisses are only ‘half-cut’ and not completely removed to maintain the continuity of the film
Sources in Sony Pictures maintain that the ‘tiny’ cuts have not affected the flow of the movie.
The latest James Bond movie, Spectre, has hit the headlines just before its release in India. According to a report published in Rediff.com, the movie has been cleared by the Censor Board of Film Certification (CBFC) with a ‘UA’ certification but after four cuts, two verbal and two visual. The visual cuts include lead actor Daniel Craig’s passionate kisses with his co-stars, which have been reduced by almost 50 per cent, as per the report.
Pahlaj Nihalani, chairperson, CBFC, told Born of Web that the movie needed appropriate cuts because of the ratings it got. “The kissing content has been reduced, not removed completely, because the movie has been given ‘UA’ certification. Whatever objectionable is there in the film has been analysed by the panel which saw the film. How much is right or how much should be allowed depends on the ratings. The producers have accepted the cuts. Had they not agreed, we wouldn’t have given any certification. So what’s the controversy?” he said that adding, “We have to be careful with the films given ‘UA’ certification because they are also shown on TV.”
On asking why the movie got ‘UA’ certification, and not ‘A’, he said, “The genre didn’t need ‘A’ certification. There would have been a clear communication between the panel watching the movie and the applicant (Sony Pictures). You have to know that the ‘A’ certification could have ramifications for the producers and the distributors. It’s like punishment because there could be revenue losses. They have to show the film at public exhibitions and television. Anyway, we are not bothered about their loss, it’s just that we analyse every film independently. We have not interrupted the continuity and flow of the film.” He added that he is not out there to punish film-makers. “The censor board is not here to harm the producers. We have to protect interest of the producers as well as the audience,” he added.
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Nihalani, however, distanced himself from the matter saying that he has no say in this certification process. “I’m here to oversee if there are hiccups in the entire process. If the examining panel is giving one decision unanimously and the applicants are accepting that, then I am nobody to intervene,” he said.
Sources in Sony Pictures told Born of Web that censorship has not affected the spirit of the movie. “There’s hardly any cut… very tiny. It’s not even noticeable,” said the source.
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