Has Censor Board Refused To Certify '72 Hoorain'? CBFC Responds

A day after producer Ashoke Pandit accused the censor board of refusing to give a certificate to the trailer of his National Award-winning film 'Bahattar Hoorain' ('72 Hoorain'), the CBFC has issued a statement denying the allegations.

"Misleading reports are being circulated in certain sections of media that a film and its trailer titled "Bahattar Hoorain (72 Hoorain)" has been Refused certification by Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC)," it said in a statement.

It has further clarified that "contrary to the reports, the film 'Bahattar Hoorain (72 Hoorain)' was granted 'A' certification and the certificate was issued on 4-10-2019. "Now, the trailer of the said film is under due process which was applied to CBFC on 19-6-2023 and examined in accordance with the Guidelines issued under Section 5B(2) of the Cinematograph Act, 1952," the censor board added.

The CBFC has also said that "the applicant was asked for requisite documentary submissions under intimation and upon receipt of the same, certification was granted subject to modifications. A show cause notice communicating the modifications was issued to the applicant/filmmaker on 27-6-2023 and the same is pending for the applicant's response/compliance."

'72 Hoorain' stars Pavan Malhotra and Aamir Bashir in the lead. Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan-directorial flick focuses on the consequences of violent extremism.

In a video message, Pandit had appealed to Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur, and Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chairperson Prasoon Joshi, to pull up the people in the censor body who are trying 'to snatch away our creative independence and freedom of expression'.

In the 1.30-minute video, he said, "We, the makers, of the film '72 Hoorain' are quite shocked and surprised because the censor board today refused to give us a certificate for our trailer. It's quite funny and sad that a film which has won a National Award, a film which has won an award at IFFI (International Film Festival of India), the visuals are the same as what were then in the film, what is there in the trailer. So on one side, you have given a National Award to the film, and on the other side, you are refusing a certificate to the trailer of the film,"

'72 Hoorain' had its premiere at the Indian Panorama section at the 2019 International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, where it received the ICFT-UNESCO GANDHI MEDAL Special Mention. In 2021, Chauhan won the National Film Award for best direction for the film.

However, prominent religious and political leaders in Kashmir had come down heavily over the portrayal of Muslims in '72 Hoorain', saying the movie 'hurts the sentiments' of the community.

Pandit claimed that there was "something wrong with the CBFC" and urged Joshi and Thakur to look into the matter. "Therefore, we appeal to Prasoon Joshi sahab, the chairman of CBFC, to pull up the people and ask for this funny decision that they have taken. We also appeal to our I&B Minister Anurag Thakur sahab that please look into this and see to it that who are these people, these black sheep in CBFC who are trying to snatch away our creative independence and freedom of expression," he said in the video.

A National Award-winning film cannot be refused a censor certificate for its trailer, he added.