Tag: certification

culture international media politics religion

PIL filed against Paresh Rawal’s The Taj Story over controversial poster depicting Lord Shiva statue

admin

A public interest litigation (PIL) petition has been filed before the Delhi High Court seeking action against the soon-to-be-released film The Taj Story featuring actor Paresh Rawal. The film, scheduled for release on October 31, sparked heated debate following its poster, which depicts a statue of Lord Shiva emerging from the iconic Taj Mahal dome-a visual that reignites the contentious theory alleging the monument’s Hindu temple origins. Advocate Shakeel Abbas, the petitioner, alleges that The Taj Story presents “fabricated and provocative content” about the origins of the Taj Mahal, contradicting established historical consensus and scholarly writings. The petition claims the film’s speculative assertions threaten to erode public faith in history, provoke communal unrest, and potentially damage the international reputation of the Taj Mahal, which is recognized globally as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The plea urges the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to review the certification granted to the movie and instruct required cuts if necessary to safeguard communal harmony across the country. Furthermore, the PIL requests that a clear disclaimer be added to the film, clarifying that it presents a contested narrative rather than established fact. According to the petition, the movie contains “deeply divisive scenes” that may incite communal tensions and disrupt public peace. The plea also mentions the amplification of controversial statements by political leaders and fringe groups, raising alarms over the potential for nationwide unrest. Also Read: Paresh Rawal REACTS to The Taj Story being called “propaganda”: “It focuses solely on historical facts”.

general

EXCLUSIVE: CBFC reduces kissing scene in Thamma by 5 seconds; replaces ‘Azaadi doonga’ with ‘Aiyaashi karata hoon’

admin

Three days are left for the release of the grand Diwali biggie, Thamma, and the excitement is gradually building up. The makers, Maddock Films, completed the censor process on time and in this article, Bollywood Hungama will exclusively focus on the cuts suffered by the horror comedy. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) asked for audio cuts in three places and one visual modification as well. The word ‘Alexander’ was replaced with ‘Sikandar’. In another dialogue, the word ‘Ashwathama’ was muted. In the second half of the film, the words ‘Azaadi doonga’ were replaced with ‘Aiyaashi karata hoon’. The Examining Committee also asked the makers to ‘reduce the slurping sound of drinking blood to minimum’. Finally, a kissing scene in the second half was reduced by 30%, that is, by 5 seconds. The last modification may dampen the excitement of the moviegoers but on the positive side, this is the shortest intimacy cut asked by the CBFC in recent times. In Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari, liplock visuals were reduced by 60%. In Saiyaara, the makers were instructed to delete and replace 10 seconds of ‘sensual, intimacy, body exposure visuals’. Lastly, in Superman, the CBFC axed 33 seconds of ‘sensual visual’ from Superman. It led to massive criticism as the studio had to make abrupt cuts to accommodate CBFC’s directive. Coming back to Thamma, once the changes were made, the censor certificate was handed over to the makers on October 15. The film was passed with a U/A 16+ rating. The length of the movie, as mentioned on the censor certificate, is 149. 59 minutes. In other words, Thamma is 2 hours 29 minutes and 59 seconds long. Thamma releases on Tuesday, October 21 and stars Ayushmann Khurrana, Rashmika Mandanna, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Paresh Rawal. It is backed by blockbuster producer Dinesh Vijan’s Maddock Films and directed by Aditya Sarpotdar of Munjya (2024) fame. It is a part of the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe and hence, belongs to the same world as Stree, Bhediya and Munjya. Also Read: Thamma Creates Diwali Frenzy: Thamma advance tickets selling fast after historic fan screening in Delhi.