Swaarangi cleared by Sindh and Punjab censor boards

Information ministry forms six-member panel to review the ban by CBFC

KARACHI: More than a week ago, it seemed that the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had drawn the curtains on Swaarangi after it deemed the movie unfit for public viewing in its present form.

With the movie yet to be previewed by the censor boards of Punjab and Sindh, the CBFC’s decision had cast a shadow of doubt on whether the movie would be approved by the remaining boards. But the Punjab and Sindh censor boards have unanimously approved Swaarangi for public viewing.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, the film’s producer Mazhar Abbas said, “Swaarangi has been passed by both the Sindh and the Punjab censor boards without any cuts or objections.” According to him, the movie had received clearance from the Punjab censor board on September 4 followed by the Sindh censor board on September 8.

On how the boards had reacted when the film was submitted for certification, Abbas added, “The Punjab censor board was initially apprehensive about it but after viewing the movie, they found nothing objectionable or controversial in it.”

Having said that, chairman Sindh censor board, Fakhre Alam showed reservations over the quality of the film. “We have not judged Swaarangi for any of its creative content, but the board members who attended the screening had serious objections and reservations about the technical quality of the film,” he told The Express Tribune. The film has been given ‘Universal’ certification by the Sindh board.

Abbas had earlier stated how the CBFC’s verdict on the movie was misleading for them, as no clear reason for the ban had been mentioned. The CBFC notification stated, “Found it [Swaarangi] unsuitable for public exhibition for the reason that the film is not recommended to be screened in its present form and content for public viewing.”

Upon the producer’s request, the Information Ministry has appointed a six-member panel, which will reconsider the movie for certification.

Starring Resham, Ayub Khoso, Waseem Manzoor and Naveed Akbar, Swaarangi has been described as a youth-oriented film, which revolves around the theme of substance abuse. It is slated to release in cinemas on September 11.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 9^th,  2015.

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