
A six-second kiss scene from the Shahid Kapoor-starrer Deva was edited out by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
For the ex-CBFC Chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani, it brought back memories of Spectre which was released back in 2015.
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When he decided to edit out two kissing scenes from the film which shortened the film by 20 seconds, he was trolled for his decision.
Upon hearing the news of the censoring of the kissing scene in Deva by the present-day CBFC head Prasoon Joshi, Pahlaj Nihalani questioned why people aren’t trolling Prasoon for his decision.
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Defending his past decision, Nihalani explained that the cuts in Spectre were made to give the film a U/A rating, making it the first James Bond film to not get an A-rating.
He also said that the cut happened after a healthy discussion between the CBFC and the studio. Despite it all, his decision was trolled.
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However now, the scene cut in Deva has no consequences for Prasoon Joshi.
The scene needed to be cut so that the film could pass as U/A rated, and it was necessary back then too. But why was he the only one who faced the trolling?
Was Nihalani’s backlash simply because audiences found the idea of a “sanskari” James Bond absurd? Or is there a deeper reason about how we react to censorship in cinema?