The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has asked the makers of Gully Boy to crop a kissing scene between the lead pair Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhat, alongwith a suggestion to remove some cuss words. The censor board also asked the producers to remove the branding of an alcohol brand that is a media partner on the film.
Gully Boy has been certified U/A [unrestricted public exhibition subject to parental guidance for children below the age of 12]. The film will hit the screens on Valentine’s Day (14 February).
The censor board has asked the producers Excel Entertainment to trim the kissing scene by 13 seconds. The CBFC also asked to show a wide angle of the scene. They have asked for some cuss words to be edited out, and some others to be beeped out.
The producers were also asked to remove the name of the alcohol brand Royal Stag from the media partners. The Indian law doesn’t permit the direct promotion of alcohol brands. Often these brands resort to surrogate marketing, promoting themselves through soda or mineral water.
Producer Ritesh Sidhwani of Excel Entertainment had no reservation over the recommendations by the CBFC. “It is absolutely fine,” Sidhwani told the daily Hindustan Times.
A source close to the CBFC informed, “These minor changes were along expected lines. The producers, too, expected them. They fill their film with excess content – explicit scenes, cuss words. They, too, know that certain content will be censored. After all, no wants an A certificate. Gully Boy has been certified U/A.”
Gully Boy is about a street rapper named Murad Sheikh (played by Ranveer Singh), who rises from the slums to become a popular rapper.