The censor board loves Karan Johar. Apparently, the head honcho of Dharma Productions not only happily toned down the violent content of Agneepath as per the censorial requirements; he also took the UA (parental guidance) certificate happily.
Not just that - here comes the clincher that has endeared Karan to the entire censor board - he also offered to explain the meaning of the UA certification on every poster.
We now hear the censor board is apparently hoping that other producers would also take a cue from Karan and make the intent of the censor certificate more apparent on the posters.
Says a source close to the censor board, "We can only go as far as to give a certificate. How far it is implemented is not in our hands. In this context Karan Johar's explanation of a UA certification on his posters is path-breaking, or Agneepath-breaking, if you will."
The censor board is now considering ways in which the certification would be given more prominence in the marketing, all thanks to Karan Johar.
Says Pankaja Thakur, the CEO Censor Board Of Film Certification (CBFC), "Karan Johar volunteered to add the part about parental guidance to all the posters of Agneepath. For the first time, a film poster explains the meaning of an UA certificate. It reads: 'This film is certified UA. We advise parental guidance due to violence in the film.' CBFC appreciates the proactive approach of the producer in advising audience. UA certificate means parental guidance required for kids below 12 years of age and we would like parents and guardians to keep that in mind. They should decide for themselves if their children can watch blood on screen without getting disturbed."
Ms. Thakur admits the gore quotient in Agneepath had to be toned down. "We decided to give a UA certificate to the film but not before the director Karan Malhotra agreed to tone down the violent scenes. The film initially had more bloodshed. Agneepath as we saw it is the story of a pre-teen who fights the big bad world and emerges victorious. It has a lot of bloodshed but none of us felt disturbed by it. The violence is not the type that can psychologically damage a child and the softer scenes of the film managed to offset the darker part of it."
The censor board's CEO admits that Karan Johar's initiative on the matter of explaining and elaborating the 'UA' certificate on the poster has prompted a new line of thought in censorial policies. "Displaying the rating given to a film on all the posters and publicity material is a statutory requirement. However, explaining the meaning of the ratings is the CBFC's job. Partnering with us on this job would be appreciated."
That's exactly what Karan Johar has done. And it's expected to lead a more harmonious working relationship between Bollywood and the censor board.
More Pages: Soham - Karan Johar's Next Project Box Office Collection
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