The Indian Censor Board under Pahalaj Nihalani shows no signs of loosening its grip on the scissors. Love making scenes between the two female actors of the movie ‘Atomic Blonde’ that releases this Friday in India, have been chopped off by the Censor Board.
A lengthy love making scene between Charlize Theron and Sofia Boutella were removed from the movie, which releases with an A certificate in India, on the directions of the Censor Board. The order of the Board read:
“Delete the visual of the hand touching the bare breast in bed of two ladies, and delete the entire love-making (having sex).”
The Quint reports about other scenes and words that the Censors asked to be chopped off :Ms Theron’s “bare butt” in the bathtub, bare breast in the bathtub (Ms Theron is very cleanliness conscious in this film). Her nipples showing under a knitted sweater have also been ordered out. Also references to ‘cunt, cock, balls, bitch, prick cocksucker’ have been asked to be removed from the subtitles, though strangely not from the soundtrack.
Under Pahalaj Nihalani, the Censor Board has been accused to be playing a moral guardian and curbing artistic freedoms, and has often found itself mired in controversy. Modi Government had promised to overhaul the Censor Board and constituted a committee headed by noted filmmaker Shyam Benegal, which submitted its recommendations and report in April 2016. However, the government has not acted on the recommendations yet.
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