How PK got censored in Pakistan
It seems filmgoers in Islamabad saw a relatively more censored version of the film than those in Sindh
Aamir’s PK continues to enjoy a strong run at the box office in India, recently becoming the highest-grossing Bollywood film of all time. PHOTO: PK MOVIE FACEBOOK PAGE
KARACHI:
Censor boards and their respective film industries have never shared a cordial relationship. Producers complain about their artistic voice and storyline being compromised, while boards often use subjective terms like ‘national interest’ and other catch phrases to shelter their decisions.
Haider was found to be “against the ideology of Pakistan”, while a censor board official remarked that “certain Hindi words can have adverse effects on our culture”.
Yet, Waar -- a movie with plenty of gore and cursing -- was given a U (Universal) rating by the censor board, deeming it suitable for people of all ages.
On the other side of the border, top officials of India’s Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) were replaced with officials who support the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, leading to an overtly politically influenced film certification body.
Thankfully, owing to the 18th amendment in Pakistan, such influence is diminished since the formation of provincial censor boards.
However, the situation gets really interesting, and sometimes ironic, when different censor boards give separate verdicts on a film.
The Express Tribune got hold of CBFC's and Sindh Board of Film Certification (SBFC) excision notes on the film PK and it seems filmgoers in Islamabad saw a relatively more censored version of the film than those in Sindh.
POLL
[poll id="1412"]
It seems Aamir Khan did manage to create some stir in Pakistani censor boards, if not as much as he did back in India.
SBFC
1) “Background music in the song where “Matam” shown sound erased”
2)“Background sound in all “Dancing Car” shot sound erased”
CBFC
1) “Very first scene of Aamir Khan in which his lower part is naked blurred”
2) “Two lip kissing scenes wherever occur in the film excised”
3) “Slang word ‘lul’ wherever occur erased”
4) “Voices of Azaan wherever occur erased”
5) “The sentence ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jay Ho’ wherever occur in the film erased
6) “The reference of Mehmood Ghaznavi, Kamal Pasha and Pervaiz Khan removed
7) “The sentence ‘Musalman Bomb phaaraingay’ erased”
8) “The word ‘Apne Khuda’ muted”
It is pertinent to mention here that Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa still hasn’t formed its own censor board and gets their certifications from CBFC.
Censor boards and their respective film industries have never shared a cordial relationship. Producers complain about their artistic voice and storyline being compromised, while boards often use subjective terms like ‘national interest’ and other catch phrases to shelter their decisions.
Haider was found to be “against the ideology of Pakistan”, while a censor board official remarked that “certain Hindi words can have adverse effects on our culture”.
Yet, Waar -- a movie with plenty of gore and cursing -- was given a U (Universal) rating by the censor board, deeming it suitable for people of all ages.
On the other side of the border, top officials of India’s Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) were replaced with officials who support the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, leading to an overtly politically influenced film certification body.
Thankfully, owing to the 18th amendment in Pakistan, such influence is diminished since the formation of provincial censor boards.
However, the situation gets really interesting, and sometimes ironic, when different censor boards give separate verdicts on a film.
The Express Tribune got hold of CBFC's and Sindh Board of Film Certification (SBFC) excision notes on the film PK and it seems filmgoers in Islamabad saw a relatively more censored version of the film than those in Sindh.
POLL
[poll id="1412"]
It seems Aamir Khan did manage to create some stir in Pakistani censor boards, if not as much as he did back in India.
SBFC
1) “Background music in the song where “Matam” shown sound erased”
2)“Background sound in all “Dancing Car” shot sound erased”
CBFC
1) “Very first scene of Aamir Khan in which his lower part is naked blurred”
2) “Two lip kissing scenes wherever occur in the film excised”
3) “Slang word ‘lul’ wherever occur erased”
4) “Voices of Azaan wherever occur erased”
5) “The sentence ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jay Ho’ wherever occur in the film erased
6) “The reference of Mehmood Ghaznavi, Kamal Pasha and Pervaiz Khan removed
7) “The sentence ‘Musalman Bomb phaaraingay’ erased”
8) “The word ‘Apne Khuda’ muted”
It is pertinent to mention here that Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa still hasn’t formed its own censor board and gets their certifications from CBFC.