If your leading man is a divorcee and on top of that he is a smoker, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is bound to frown upon your film.
That’s what director Raja Krishna Menon discovered to his dismay and amusement. The director of the critical and commercial hit Airlift, was pretty much shocked when told that that his film about a man separated from his wife bonding with his estranged son would be granted a UA certificate.
Says a source, “There was nothing in the film to justify a ‘UA’ rating rather than a ‘U’. But then the CBFC members apparently thought the hero who is divorced and who smokes, must be given a restricted viewing certification. Hence the ‘UA’.”
Raja Krishna Menon was also very surprised that the Board asked him to remove a word from his film Chef before granting the film a ‘UA’ rating.
Confirming these ifs and cuts, Menon says, “The word ‘asshole’ had to go. To think that would be a problem was surprising, because frankly there is no bad language in the film.”
As for the ‘UA’ certificate Menon admits it had to do with the hero being a divorcee and a smoker, “Apparently you can’t have a hero separated from his wife and smoking in a ‘U’ film.”
Try figuring that one out.
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