Diljit Dosanjh starrer Punjab ’95, which is the biopic of Jaswant Singh Khalra, has hit another roadblock in its pursuit of a Censor Board clearance. A new report has claimed that the CBFC has ordered 120 cuts. This is after it was reported in July that the CBFC suggested 85 cuts. As per a new report, CBFC chairman Prasoon Joshi watch the film along with other members of the reviewing committee and handed out final changes.
Sources told Mid-Day that the cuts have now increased from 85 to nearly 120. One of the biggest change that the Censor Board has asked is the renaming of Khalra’s character. They have also asked for the title of the film to be changed. The team had named the film Punjab ’95, referring to the year of Khalra’s death. He died in 1995 and a decade later, six police officials from Punjab police were convicted for his murder.
“Per the CBFC’s suggestion, the film will now be called Sutlej, denoting the river that unites Punjab. There are a total of almost 120 changes! The most pivotal change is to not call the protagonist Jaswant Singh anymore. Honey and producer Ronnie Screwvala told CBFC that they won’t allow this change in a film that highlights Khalra’s role in investigating the disappearance and killing of Sikh youths during the Punjab insurgency between 1984 and 1994,” a source told the publication.
“Their point of argument was that Khalra is seen as a martyr by the Sikh community and removing his name will be disrespectful not just to him and his family, but to the entire community. Not to mention that it then won’t be a biopic anymore. The CBFC also stated that the movie cannot claim to be based on real-life incidents as they felt it would lead to ‘swaying of sentiments,’” the insider added.
“In a scene, there is a Gurbani that has been asked to be removed. They have also instructed that any mention of Punjab and the district of Tarn Taran be dropped. Moreover, display of the national flag and any reference to Canada or the UK has to be dropped altogether. If the makers agree to these changes, they will be handed the certificate before the week ends,” the source shared. The makers will be attending a meeting today and appeal to the CBFC against a few suggested modifications.
The movie stars Diljit Dosanjh in the lead and also stars Arjun Rampal and Suvinder Vicky. The film has been in the process of obtaining a CBFC certificate since 2022.
Comments
0 comment