'Khiladi 786' approved for screening in Pakistan
Censor board authorities considers the name to be offensive.
LAHORE:
The full board of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has approved Bollywood film Khiladi 786 for screening, with a few edits. After speculations that the film may have trouble being approved, it was passed after the number 786 was removed from the film title.
"We knew that there would not be any issue in having the film passed," said Amjad Rasheed, of IMGC Global Entertainment. "There were a few edits, but otherwise the film really had no issues."
Full board to look at censoring of Khiladi 786
The actor Akshay Kumar starrer, Khiladi 786 is being touted as one of Bollywood’s biggest releases of 2012. But it seems that like some other films such as Agent Vinod and Ek Tha Tiger, the movie will not be free from controversy in Pakistan.
The Vice Chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) Rai Akbar has said that the committee has decided that a full board will decide whether to censor or ban the the film which in scheduled for a worldwide release on December 7. “Several references in the film could create problems on religious grounds,” he told The Express Tribune.
“We had said that the trailer of the film should not be screened,” said Akbar. “Advertising can take place under the name of Khiladi, as the number 786 has a religious connotation,” he added.
Afzal Rasheed of IMGC Global Entertainment, said that the full board would make a decision regarding the censorship of the film, following the objections regarding the inclusion of 786 in the title. He said that due to the last minute censorship issue, the distributor may suffer losses.
“As we all know, the censor board is bureaucratic in nature,” said Rasheed. “I don’t see anything objectionable and hopefully it [the film] should pass,” he added.
The censor board has also recommended that the distributor advertise the film as Khiladi to avoid hurting religious sentiments. “We spoke to the principle distributors and there was no objection in advertising the film by the name Khiladi,” said Rasheed. “We always have to get approval internationally and then domestically in such cases,” he added.
He cited that in the past, the film Ishqiya was approved domestically with a few edits, but after approval was sought from the principle distributors, the changes were refused. He said that with Ishqiya, the principle distributors had told IMGC that the all other countries had no objections to the film so making changes would be pointless. In the case of Khiladi 786, however, the approval for a change in the title has been granted.
Understanding the significance of these numbers for Pakistani audiences, Indian motion picture production and distribution company eros international has agreed to release the movie with a different title in the country. “The real question remains to be answered by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra), which has been unable to stop the cable advertisement of the film which showcases Khiladi 786. We are following the guidelines but in DVD shops and on cable TV, the original name will be shown,” said Rasheed.
Khiladi 786 will be Akshay Kumar’s last offering for the year 2012. After the success of Housefull 2, Rowdy Rathore and OMG (Oh My God), this too might be another hit for the action hero.
With some impressive and logic-defying action sequences, witty dialogues and musical numbers Akshay Kumar’s film is being billed as a larger than life comedy, with Asin Thottumkal as the female lead. The film is expected to break records set by a Bollywood film at the box office, and will hope to join the INR1 billion club.
Updated from print edition.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 7th, 2012.
The full board of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has approved Bollywood film Khiladi 786 for screening, with a few edits. After speculations that the film may have trouble being approved, it was passed after the number 786 was removed from the film title.
"We knew that there would not be any issue in having the film passed," said Amjad Rasheed, of IMGC Global Entertainment. "There were a few edits, but otherwise the film really had no issues."
Full board to look at censoring of Khiladi 786
The actor Akshay Kumar starrer, Khiladi 786 is being touted as one of Bollywood’s biggest releases of 2012. But it seems that like some other films such as Agent Vinod and Ek Tha Tiger, the movie will not be free from controversy in Pakistan.
The Vice Chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) Rai Akbar has said that the committee has decided that a full board will decide whether to censor or ban the the film which in scheduled for a worldwide release on December 7. “Several references in the film could create problems on religious grounds,” he told The Express Tribune.
“We had said that the trailer of the film should not be screened,” said Akbar. “Advertising can take place under the name of Khiladi, as the number 786 has a religious connotation,” he added.
Afzal Rasheed of IMGC Global Entertainment, said that the full board would make a decision regarding the censorship of the film, following the objections regarding the inclusion of 786 in the title. He said that due to the last minute censorship issue, the distributor may suffer losses.
“As we all know, the censor board is bureaucratic in nature,” said Rasheed. “I don’t see anything objectionable and hopefully it [the film] should pass,” he added.
The censor board has also recommended that the distributor advertise the film as Khiladi to avoid hurting religious sentiments. “We spoke to the principle distributors and there was no objection in advertising the film by the name Khiladi,” said Rasheed. “We always have to get approval internationally and then domestically in such cases,” he added.
He cited that in the past, the film Ishqiya was approved domestically with a few edits, but after approval was sought from the principle distributors, the changes were refused. He said that with Ishqiya, the principle distributors had told IMGC that the all other countries had no objections to the film so making changes would be pointless. In the case of Khiladi 786, however, the approval for a change in the title has been granted.
Understanding the significance of these numbers for Pakistani audiences, Indian motion picture production and distribution company eros international has agreed to release the movie with a different title in the country. “The real question remains to be answered by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra), which has been unable to stop the cable advertisement of the film which showcases Khiladi 786. We are following the guidelines but in DVD shops and on cable TV, the original name will be shown,” said Rasheed.
Khiladi 786 will be Akshay Kumar’s last offering for the year 2012. After the success of Housefull 2, Rowdy Rathore and OMG (Oh My God), this too might be another hit for the action hero.
With some impressive and logic-defying action sequences, witty dialogues and musical numbers Akshay Kumar’s film is being billed as a larger than life comedy, with Asin Thottumkal as the female lead. The film is expected to break records set by a Bollywood film at the box office, and will hope to join the INR1 billion club.
Updated from print edition.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 7th, 2012.