At the trailer launch of Raman Raghav 2.0, director Anurag Kashyap had stated that he would “not be satisfied with even a single cut” from the Censor Board and would “do anything it takes to avoid cuts.”
Image Source: twitter/Nawazuddin_S
Now, the filmmaker is putting those words into practice.
Word coming in is that the Censor Board has demanded 6 cuts in the Nawazuddin Siddiqui-starrer. Anurag has been asked to chop off some scenes that have foul language and some particularly violent scenes.
We hear, Anurag was in no mood to give in to the demands. Now, the filmmaker has knocked on the doors of the Tribunal.
Anurag’s equation with the Censor Board has hardly been a smooth one. If there’s one director who has had a run-in with the CBFC with almost every film, it’s him.
Paanch (2003)
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The filmmaker’s directorial debut Paanch never saw the light of day thanks to CBFC. The film that was loosely based on the 1976-77 Joshi-Abhyankar serial murders in Pune, had a heavy dose of sex, drugs and expletives. The strait-laced Censor Board wasted no time in banning the film. This marked the beginning of the hate-hate relationship between Anurag and the Board.
Black Friday (2004)
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After starting off on the wrong foot with the Board with Paanch, Anurag went one step further with Black Friday. The Board, which was already shaken by his Paanch, almost fell off their seats when they saw his gritty film about the 1993 Bombay Blasts. No questions asked, the movie faced a stay order from the Bombay High Court until the trial got over. The film hasn’t got an official release till date.
Gulaal (2009)
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Anurag’s Gulaal, which dealt with student politics, was rejected outright for its “volatile contents” when it was screened for the Censor Board. Anurag asn’t going to take this lying down. He made several rounds of the Examining Committee trying to negotiate. Not one to relent, he headed to the Revising Committee and got a go-ahead -- with four cuts and an 'A' certificate.
Gangs Of Wasseypur (2012)
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Anurag’s two-part film was passed by the Censor Board only when the filmmaker complied with their demands. One – put a smoking disclaimer. Two – at the beginning of the movie, put a disclaimer stating that the film is a fictionalised account. CBFC was also uncomfortable with the infamous phrase ‘Teri keh ke lunga’ but passed it anyway.
Anurag fought tooth and nail to not carry the “fictionalised” disclaimer. His argument was simple – “We had researched for the film for a year-and-a-half. So why should I say fictionalised?” After fighting for several weeks, Anurag gave in saying that the film is “90 per cent based on real-life incidents but it’s mixed with some fictitious characters.”
Ugly (2014)
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When CBFC slapped the rule of posting the smoking disclaimer in the frame whenever a character is shown smoking, Anurag was the first one to raise his voice against the regulation. He took the opportunity to cock a snook at the Board when he stated, “It’s the Health Ministry that should take the responsibility of curbing the use of tobacco and films should not be a medium to advertise non-smoking.”
He further added that he won’t release Ugly until the Board got rid of the rule. After months and months of fighting with the Board, Anurag gave in and Ugly was released in December 2014 –- 14 months after its original release date.
Bombay Velvet (2015)
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His last release too landed in trouble with the CBFC. The Board had asked for several cuts including the deletion of certain cuss words and toning down of violent sequences. To make matters worse, they gave it an ‘A’ certificate. Anurag, who wasn’t happy with the ‘Adults Only’ tag went to the Revising Committee, which granted it a ‘UA’ certificate.
The battle continues. Over to the Tribunal.
Thumbnail Image Source: Manav Manglani & twitter/Nawazuddin_S