When Kaalakaandi was saved from CBFC’s cuts
Aconstant fear among directors after the completion of a film is the certification procedure. For some films, chopping a few scenes and changing a few words by the censor board, does not make a lot of difference, however, for others, such alterations can change the very concept.
Writer- turned-director Akshat Verma’s Kaalakaandi, a dark comedy based on three different stories in Mumbai where the fate of people intertwines, is one such film. Verma apparently had a harrowing time during the certification process. He shares that the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had asked the makers for more than 70 cuts, which was mostly for the language used in the film. But the makers felt that the suggested cuts would take away the relevance of the film.
The verbal imbalance recommended by the CBFC was then restored by the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) , which asked for three small cuts and gave the film an A certificate, keeping the core of the film intact. “Thankfully Kaalakaandi has been rescued from being butchered. It’s not as if I consciously got down to doing a film that would have as many ‘gaalis’ as Delhi Belly (2011),” Verma says.
He further adds, “When I wrote Delhi Belly, the characters spoke to me and the audience in a certain way. In Kaalakaandi, they speak a language that we may not accept as normal but it is perfectly normal to the milieu and context of the film.” Verma says that the FCAT restored all the cuts, and thus restored his faith in the democratic process.
Produced by Cinestaan Film Company and Ashi Dua Sara of Flying Unicorn, the film stars Saif Ali Khan along with the ensemble of Deepak Dobriyal, Vijay Raaz, Kunaal Roy Kapur, Sobhita Dhulipala, Akshay Oberoi, Isha Talwar, Shenaz Treasury, Shivam Patil, Amyra Dastur and Neil Bhoopalam. The film is set to release on January 12.