The CBFC ordered nearly a dozen violent scenes trimmed or dropped from the action drama, and Nani says the makers saw the rating coming while they were still shooting.
The Paradise walks into cinemas on September 24 carrying an adult certificate, and its lead actor isn't apologising for it.
At the film's Mumbai press meet, Nani was asked directly about the Central Board of Film Certification's decision, which came to light on September 21. His answer was blunt. "Of course, when your film has received an 'A' certificate, you'll miss out on kids and a chunk of moviegoers," he said. "But I also understand where it's all coming from. There's a lot of violence in The Paradise."
He drew a line between his film and the kind of movie that leans on gore for its own sake. "There are some films, which are fully focused on violence and have violence for the sake of violence," Nani said. "The Paradise is not like that. Our film is a solid drama. It's an emotional, commercial film and everybody will relate to it very well, regardless of the age group." His pitch to sceptical parents was direct too, that families can watch it together, just not with the kids in tow.
Asked whether the team had pushed for a U/A certificate instead, Nani said no such attempt was made. "We were prepared while shooting itself that we would receive an adult rating," he said, suggesting the makers went into production knowing exactly what they were building.
The list of changes the CBFC asked for is long. Bollywood Hungama reported that alternate visuals had to replace a shot of a crow on the National Flag, and that a scene involving a pregnant woman near the start of the film needed modification. A profanity was allowed to stay in one instance but muted everywhere else it appeared, and a character's tattoo bearing an expletive was papered over with CGI. The term 'denotified tribe' was ordered deleted outright.
On the violence itself, the board trimmed the length of stabbing visuals and cut ten other scenes involving torture and blood entirely, according to the report. Three separate references to armed struggle against the country were either modified or muted, along with a mention of a real assassination tied to a historical event. Even a nod to an actual cigarette brand didn't survive the cutting room.
Sonali Kulkarni, Raghav Juyal and Kayadu Lohar joined Nani at the presser, though the certification questions were largely directed his way, given he anchors the film. None of them, per the report, pushed back on the board's calls, treating the trims as the price of the story they wanted to tell.
What's left is a film that opens this Thursday with its 'A' rating intact and its violence, per Nani, dialled down from what was originally shot. Whether that satisfies audiences expecting an uncut version of the drama is now a question for opening weekend.
Be the first to comment
Join the argument. No password, just your email or a passkey.