The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) on Thursday issued a statement denying reports that it had refused to issue a censor certificate to the movie ’72 Hoorain’ and its trailer. The CBFC said that the film ’72 Hoorain’ directed by Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan is already certified and the trailer certification of the film is in process. This press note by the CBFC came in response to some reports in the media claiming that the film certification has been restricted owing to certain corrections.
In the press note, the CBFC said, “Misleading reports are being circulated in certain sections of media that a film and its trailer titles ‘Bahattar Hoorain (72 Hoorain)’ has been refused certification by Central Board of Film Certification.”
According to the CBFC, it has asked the makers of the movie to make certain changes to the trailer and has not rejected it, as portrayed in reports. However, the trailer was released without the certificate, following which the CBFC issued a show-cause notice, and asked to implement the changes.
The CBFC stated in the press note, “The film ‘Bahattar Hoorain (72 Hoorain)’ was granted ‘A’ certification and the certificate was issued on 4-10-2019. Now, the trailer of said film is under due process which was applied to CBFC on 19-6-2023 and examined in accordance with the guidelines issued under section 5B(2) of the Cinematograph Act, 1952.”
The board further said, “The applicant was asked for the requisite documentary submissions under intimation and upon receipt of the same, certification was granted subject to modifications. A show cause notice communicating the modifications was issued to the applicant/filmmaker on 27-6-2023 the same is pending the applicant’s response/compliance. Thus, any misleading reports may not be entertained or circulated hereinafter when the matter is under due process.”
On Tuesday, June the critically acclaimed film ’72 Hoorain,’ produced by Ashoke Pandit was given a list of modifications by the censor board to be made in the movie’s trailer. But the trailer was released on Wednesday without the changes. Producer Ashok Pandit said that the changes were asked at the last moment, and they had already prepared for the launch of the trailer. He also questioned the board for asking cuts in the trailer, when the trailer is made from scenes taken from the movie which was already cleared by the board in 2019.
Pandit said, “72 Hoorain won the National award as well as an award at IFFI. The film’s trailer has been cut from the film itself. So, either the National Award was wrong or this rejection of the censor certificate is wrong. I want to know on what basis our trailer was not given a censor certificate. I request Prasoon Joshi to find out who were the officials who didn’t give the certificate. I also request the I&B Minister Anurag Thakur to issue an inquiry into this matter. We are very hurt and shocked by this reaction.”
He said that the shots asked to be removed from the trailer, a shot with a foot and a word from Quran, are these shots are there in the movie cleared by the CBFC. “I would like to tell that this film is not against any person or religion. This film is dealing with terrorism. All we want to ask is why the shots that are okay in the film are not okay in the trailer,” Ashok Pandit said. He also demanded an inquiry against those people who have rejected the certificate for the trailer.
The film is scheduled for release on July 7. The film, directed by Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan and featuring Pavan Malhotra and Aamir Bashir in prominent roles, explores the repercussions of religiously motivated Islamic terrorism.