Anurag Kashyap: Always advocated against censorship in storytelling

Abhishek Bachchan and Taapsee Pannu in the film

Having never been a favourite with members of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), Anurag Kashyap found himself at loggerheads with the board after select scenes of Manmarziyan were cut, days after it released in September.

As the film gears up for airing on the censorship-free web platform, Kashyap evidently has reason to celebrate. The eliminated scenes, we learn, will make it to the digital cut.

Anurag Kashyap

"It is great to see [my] product being shown in its full form. I have always advocated for a censorship-free [platform], and the digital medium offers that liberty in storytelling. I am happy that the platform is showing the uncensored version of Manmarziyan, parts of which had to be omitted from the theatrical release due to the protests," Kashyap tells mid-day.

The select scenes that will now be available on Eros Now had been edited out owing to protests from certain Sikh groups that suggested the sequences offended them. After the film had first hit screens on September 14, the groups held protests in Delhi and Punjab, and filed a police complaint with the Jammu district magistrate.

The move had eventually led the CBFC to cut the scenes, two of which showcased Sikh characters [played by Abhishek Bachchan and Taapsee Pannu] smoking cigarettes. The third scene in contention featured the duo - dressed as bride and groom - entering a Gurudwara, even as the bride was occupied with memories of her former boyfriend. The film is set to release on the platform tomorrow.

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