Cut! Says CBFC to Anaarkali Of Aarah

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has proved its redundancy once again, asking the makers of upcoming Swara-Bhaskar-starrer Anaarkali of Aarah for not one, but 11 cuts, including the removal of a dialogue which contains the names of Amitabh Bachchan and Amrish Puri, for fear that it might 'hurt sentiments'.
If this wasn't enough, the body has also asked for the word Arjun, that's part of a shayari dialogue, to be removed, stating that it might hurt religious sentiments.With all due respect to the body's rules of function, it is anybody's guess how viewers are going to understand the context of the dialogues with these cuts.
In a recent interview with us, Swara Bhaskar, who plays the lead character of a singer from Arrah in Bihar, said, "I hate to say this, but the CBFC is increasingly proving its own redundancy. Its job is to suggest what age group can watch a film, not advise cuts! I wrote an open letter to Pahlaj Nihalani during the Udta Punjab incident, which I don't think he has read. The truth is, you're never going to get good, credible art in an atmosphere that's governed by archaic morality rules, and is constantly under surveillance."
After the cuts, it is expected that the film might get an 'A' certificate. However, news goes that the makers are in no mood to pick up a fight with the CBFC. Earlier, producer Sandiip Kapur filed a complaint at a Delhi police station after certain scenes, which the CBFC wanted to be removed from the film, were leaked online.
The film, directed by Avinash Das, will hit screens in the last week of March.
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