Censor Board gives its nod to 'Housefull 2'

Buzz is that a snake and an alligator could have sabotaged Sajid Khan's Housefull 2 premiere and release this week. Just days before the film opens, a few animal activists urged the Censor Board not to approve the film, as they were unsure if the producers had acquired the correct permissions to shoot with animals in the film. But producer Sajid Nadiadwala insists that all the requisite permissions are in place and the premiere and the release will go ahead as planned.

Confirms producer Sajid Nadiadwala, "We understand that using animals in a film is sensitive and requires a lot of permissions. However, since we shot in London, we had taken requisite permissions from the board there, apart from the Animal Welfare Board in Chennai.u00a0However, a few activists from Mumbai were not aware of this and they had told the Censor Board not to issue us the censor certificate."

Censor Board members, the producer and the activists have spent the last week trying to resolve the situation. J P Singh, regional officer, CBFC (Censor Board of film Certification) says, "They had the permissions and it was a simple miscommunication between the producer and the board. We have made sure no animals have been harmed during the shoot and as we speak, the certificate is being issued to the filmmakers."

This is, however, not the first time Nadiadwala and director Sajid Khan are dealing with animals. Housefull featured a monkey and a tiger and therefore, there were extra precautions taken to make sure nothing went wrong this time.

Adds Sajid, "I thought I won't be able to release the film on time. We need the certificate for the Singapore premiere. Thankfully, now I hear that the certificate is being issued. Or else, it would have led to a great deal of distress for our distributors."u00a0