CBFC orders 50 cuts for a film on child trafficking

Bollywood filmmakers are evolving from making typical lovey-dovey films to making movies with better storylines and stronger content. Recently, we have been presented with films like 'Pink' and 'Toilet Ek Prem Katha', which support some very strong social messages. Another such upcoming film with a very important social message is 'Love Soniya', which is based on child trafficking. The film was recently viewed by the CBFC.

The movie starring Mrunal Thakur, Manoj Bajpayee, Richa Chadha, Rajkummar Rao and Freida Pinto has been asked to remove all the English and Hindi cuss words and abuses. Scenes of sexual abuse have also been cut down drastically. Apparently, more than 45 cuts were ordered and only then was the film granted an 'A' certificate. We wonder what happened to the CBFC's claims of not making any cuts to movies that sport an important social message.

Director Tabrez Noorani, who waited 12 years to make 'Love Soniya', was understandably upset with the verdict. “I’ve researched, visited brothels, even rescued sex workers from the flesh trade with the help of NGOs. This is the film I’ve always wanted to direct,” he revealed.

Tabrez also feels that not much justice has been done to the theme of human trafficking in Indian cinema. “The only significant film I’ve seen on human trafficking is Lukas Moodysson’s Lilya 4-ever. Otherwise, Indian films on the theme like Nagesh Kukunoor’s Laxmi and Pradeep Sarkar’s Mardaani do not have the bandwidth to make a broad impact,” he concluded.

(Also read: Makers oblige as CBFC demands loud moans in sex scenes axed from ‘Simran’)

Stay tuned for more updates.

Credits: DNA