B-Town gives mixed response to censor cuts in movies for TV

Mumbai: The no show of Vidya Balan`s super hit movie `The Dirty Picture` on television has met with mixed reactions from Bollywood, with some filmmakers not in favour of editing the bold content, while others agreeing to the censor board`s decision.

Vidya Balan`s portrayal as southern siren Silk Smitha in `The Dirty Picture` was set for its worldwide TV premiere on a Sunday afternoon last month. Despite the film being submitted with 59 cuts, it wasn`t allowed to be aired, because of its bold content, which created furore amongst channels and filmmakers. Noted director-producer Ram Gopal Varma, whose upcoming movie `Department` has loads of action, drama and an item number, says, "I am not aware of the regulations...How they (Censor board) manage it. The concept of censorship is outdated in today`s times as every person has access to various things." "You just have to offer the content and it is upto them whether they want to see it or not. The whole thing about protecting it from children ...How anything can be protected from anyone, in that case even cellphones and internet must also be banned," Varma told reporters. On whether ‘Department’ would also undergo certain cuts, he said, "We will take a call on that after censor board`s decision and on what rating we get." Director Soojit Sircar, whose recent movie `Vicky Donor` dealt with a subject of sperm donation and had bold dialogues, echoes a similar view, "I think it is people`s decision what they want to see and what not. It is not only the responsibility of filmmakers, but also of parents to see what it is right or wrong for their children. Like sometimes, even item numbers are vulgar." "We were granted U/A certificate by Censor Board. In our film we are addressing a social problem so there is nothing wrong about it," he added. Earlier, Aamir Khan`s home production `Delhi Belly`, an adult comedy, was given an `A` certificate. Even after re-editing and re-dubbing of certain dialogues that were considered too explicit for TV audience, the film is yet to be aired on the small screen . "TV is a mass medium. Considering the content shown it regulation is essential in a way. Though somethings cannot be cut, yet if anything is objectionable, the cut should be justified (by censor board)," director of `Delhi Belly`, Abhinay Deo said. However, Tarun Garg of Balaji Motion Pictures had a slightly different view. "I don`t want to say whether it is right or wrong to do so. We must wait and watch for I&B`s decision. They will take appropriate decision," he said. Trade analyst Vinod Mirani also shares a similar view. "The content on TV and films is different. It is okay to revise the film or certain things in a movie for the small screen audience. After all, we make films for audience. What sense does it make by not showing what they want to see," he expressed. Meanwhile, the makers of Emraan Hashmi`s recently released flick `Jannat 2` have played safe by incorporating certain changes for the small screen audience, with the TV version having no lip-lock scenes or bad words. "We knew censor board does not allow particular kind of language, love making and kissing. So we shot alternate takes and situations for those portions. The intimacy stays but there is no lip-lock. We have done special dubbing for satellite where there is a clean version without any bad words," director of `Jannat 2`, Kunal Deshmukh, said. "When a film aires on television during prime time, you don`t know who could be watching it. There may be a five-year-old kid around and I wouldn`t want him to watch a movie with obscene language. So I am doing my bit," he added. PTI