Movie on Bal Thackeray hits censor roadblock
The biopic on Shiv Sena founder, late Balasaheb Thackeray – Thackeray — has run into trouble with the Censor Board reportedly asking for four dialogues and three cuts in the movie. The scenes and dialogues apparently relate to the Babri Masjid demolition and references to the South Indian community.
Shiv Sena’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut, producer of the film, however, said at the screening of the trailer on Wednesday that there would be no such cuts.
“There will be no cuts — it is not an imaginary story about his life, it’s a true story and it’s about his life,” said Raut.
Movie on Bal Thackeray’s political ideals to hit theaters on his birth anniversaryhttp://t.co/6SsoI9uZDu pic.twitter.com/1RUNtlOKYR
— The Indian Express (@IndianExpress) January 22, 2015
Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, who was present at the launch of the film’s trailer with his entire family, said they weren’t adding anything new to his father’s life, they were showing what had happened to him.
“Whatever has happened has happened…it can’t be changed. If we cannot have a quick resolution to the film (with regard to the censor clearance), then let’s hope we have a quick resolution to the Babri Masjid case,” stated Uddhav Thackeray.
Raut further said that it took 50 years for others to realise his (Thackeray’s) views on “sons of the soil policy”, and how Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath and his party are now talking of enacting a law for the “sons of the soil”, said Sanjay Raut.
Raut, who is also the Sena’s Rajya Sabha MP, further said, “This is the original Balasaheb Thackeray in the movie, nobody could stop him then, and nobody will be able to stop him now (film’s release).”
Abhijeet Panse, director of the film and a Sena functionary, however sounded much more conciliatory. He said that the Censor Board had asked for a cut in dialogue on South Indians, which had been done. “I don’t know about other cuts because we have not yet submitted the film to the board for the certificate,” told Panse.
Bala Lokare, Secretary, Shiv Sena Chitrapat Sena, in a Facebook post wrote, “Thackeray film 25 January ko aa rahi hai, koi bhi film 25 ko aayegi to chalne nahi denge (‘Thackeray’ film is releasing on 25 January. If any other film releases on 25th, we won’t let it work.)
Shiv Sena plans to release the movie on January 23 to coincide with the birth anniversary of its late leader. The trailer launch in Mumbai was grand with Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, Member of Parliament and senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, also the writer-producer of the movie, and the lead actors Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Amrita Rao in attendance.