CBFC's hanging sword doesn't scare Marathi filmmakers

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has been under a lot of criticism recently, owing to its new rules and strict guidelines. While the protest and disapproval continues to come in from all quarters, this year the CBFC has given A certificate and U/A certificates to Marathi films for its bold content. However, this has not deterred filmmakers from exploring with bold and sensitive subjects for their upcoming projects.

Film: 'Kaay Raav Tumhi' (released recently)
Rating: A
Subject: Adult comedy featured on three lecherous old men
The Marathi remake of Basu Chatterjee’s 1982 super hit film 'Shaukeen', 'Kaay Raav Tumhi' got an A certificate for its content. Director Dr Mrunnalini Patil said, “My film is an adult comedy which showcases three old men lusting for young women on a fun trip to Goa. Though I have shot the film aesthetically, the script includes a few scenes which are not fit for the young audience. I did not want to lose out on the humour by allowing those scenes to be deleted and hence I accepted an A rating.” So will an A, restrict her audience? “I don’t think so. I believe the audience today is wise enough to choose what it wants to watch,” she said.

Film: 'Chitrafit 3.0 Megapixel' (released on February 20)
Rating: A
Subject: Story based on sexually explicit MMSes
Debutant director Divakar Ghodake’s 'Chitrafit 3.0 Megapixel', also got an A certificate for the film, which deals with the illegal trade of filming and circulating sexually explicit videos and MMSes. Speaking about the A rating for his film, Ghodake, said, “My film is for a mature audience and I was prepared to get an A certificate as we have included scenes that might be objectionable for general viewing. In fact, inspite of the A rating, we had to delete a few explicit lovemaking scenes and some dialogues. We somehow managed to get a U/A rating for the trailer.”

Film: 'Mitraa' from 'Bioscope' (releasing in August-September)
Rating: U/A
Subject: A short film on lesbian relationship
One among the four shorts in the upcoming movie 'Bioscope', 'Mitraa', directed by Ravi Jadhav, received the National Award this year for the Best Short Fiction Film. The short, which explores the subject of lesbian relationships has been given a U/A rating. Jadhav said, “I am fine with U/A, but I did not want an A for my film as it restricts your audience. Despite the bold subject, we have refrained from using visual content which is objectionable.”

Film: 'Shutter' (releasing in June)
Rating: U/A
Subject: A middle-class youth’s encounter with a sex worker
'Shutter' is a thriller based on a middle-class youth’s (Sachin Khedekar) sudden encounter with a sex worker (Sonalee) under unexpected circumstances. South director VK Prakash who got a U/A certification for his film recently, said, “I have made a complete family film. We haven’t included any objectionable scenes which are not meant for general viewing. The U/A rating has been given based on the film’s content which is about a sex worker.”

Film: 'Shivya' (releasing in June)
Rating: Not rated yet
Subject: Story of an urban youth who uses foul language in his daily life
Filmmaker Sakar Raut’s upcoming film 'Shivya', as the title suggests includes the use of a lot of cuss words in the film. The filmmaker is sure that the CBFC will give an A certificate to the film. He said, “I am ready to accept an A rating for my film as it may not qualify for even a U/A due to the foul language used. I might also have to tone down or delete a few scenes that include the use of swear words, despite an A certificate. The film is about a short tempered urban youth, who uses foul language in his daily life. We are not encouraging the use of slangs in any way, but are projecting the reality. The film will also talk about the harmful after-effects of such language on people.”