This week will see the release of the much-awaited Prabhas-Pooja Hegde starrer, Radhe Shyam. However, this big-budget love story won’t be a solo release as Vivek Agnihotri would also be releasing The Kashmir Files this Friday, on March 11. The film’s theme and the trailer have caught the attention and trade expects that it has the potential to emerge as a sleeper hit, just like the predecessor, The Tashkent Files (2019).
Bollywood Hungama has now found out that the film, based on the Kashmiri Pandits’ persecution, has been passed by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) with an adults-only certificate. However, the film suffered 7 cuts, albeit minor ones.
A visual of the Indian national flag falling on the ground was asked to be removed. Similarly, the photo of an ex-Prime Minister of India in a dreaded terrorist’s house was deleted. The logo of a television channel was removed while the word ‘rape’ was blurred as seen on a university floor and wall poster at three places. The word ‘Disco CM’ was axed and the words ‘Pandit’ and ‘Hindu’ were deleted wherever these terms were associated with cuss words. Lastly, the name of the university, shown in the film, has been changed from JNU to ANU.
When contacted, writer-director Vivek Agnihotri exclusively told Bollywood Hungama that the examining committee of the CBFC had initially asked for a long list of cuts and that he had to fight it out. He said, “For instance, (the examining committee) had issues with the word ‘Islamic terrorist’. More than two dozen cuts were issued in all. However, I argued and showed them the documents and proof to support my point. Eventually, they allowed the film without these cuts. How can they dispute the facts after all?” Vivek Agnihotri said that this whole process of convincing the CBFC members took around two months.
When asked about changing the name of the university to ANU, Vivek Agnihotri replied, “There were a lot of arguments done on this aspect. Then, I realized that changing the university’s name from JNU to ANU is not going to dilute the essence of the film. Also, I didn’t want to unnecessarily surround myself with court cases. Hence, I decided to make the change.”
The makers of The Kashmir Files were handed over the censor certificate on November 3, 2021. The final duration of the film is 170 minutes, that is, 2 hours and 50 minutes. It stars Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumaar, Pallavi Joshi and Puneet Issar.
Also Read: Mithun Chakraborty collapses due to food poisoning, The Kashmir Files shoot suspended for a day
More Pages: The Kashmir Files Box Office Collection
BOLLYWOOD NEWS - LIVE UPDATES
Catch us for latest Bollywood News, New Bollywood Movies update, Box office collection, New Movies Release , Bollywood News Hindi, Entertainment News, Bollywood Live News Today & Upcoming Movies 2024 and stay updated with latest hindi movies only on Bollywood Hungama.
