What’s the right length for a kiss?

TThe chief of the CBFC thinks 50 seconds is enough to watch a kissing scene

Shabana Azmi, actor

he Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has been trolled in social media for cutting the duration of the kissing scene in the latest James Bond movie, Spectre. And now actor Shabana Azmi too has a question for the board, “The CBFC chief thinks 50 seconds is enough to watch a kissing scene. I don’t understand, what is the right length?” Shabana asked laughing while addressing a session on her film Fire (1996) at a summit in the Capital recently.

She said the decision to shorten the kissing scenes in Spectre was arbitrary. “The very honourable chief of the board of film certification has, without any consultation with the board members, edited a kiss in the James Bond film from its actual length to half the length,” Shabana said when asked about the status of censorship in India.

The National-award winning actor, however, praised the board when it passed Fire, a film which boldly chronicled the same sex relationship, without a single cut. Fire was written and directed by Deepa Mehta and starred Shabana and Nandita Das.

“What was absolutely stunning about the board of members of film certification of that time was it didn’t have a single cut... After that it was pulled out of the theatres and the ministry re-referred the board and the commendable part was, they re-released it without a single cut.”

PHOTO: PRABHAS ROY/HT