Aditya Chopra’s Befikre is out and what has shocked viewers more than the skin show is how on earth did the film managed to get a U/A certificate? And that too under the chairmanship of Pahlaj Nihalani, known for his sanskaari stance.
Ever since Pahlaj Nihalani has taken charge, he has been ruthless in chopping scenes or references that are not even remotely objectionable. For instance, the word ‘lesbian’ was removed from Dum Laga Ke Haisha. He created a hue and cry when the Tribunal cleared the term ‘kutiya’ in Saat Uchakkey. There are many such instances. In fact, just 2 weeks ago, viewers were aghast when Dear Zindagi had the word ‘slut’ muted that totally affected the flow of the scene. And of course, who can forget James Bond turning into a sanskaari chap when his kissing scenes were drastically reduced in Spectre.
Keeping these instances in mind, it is shocking to see Befikre being passed with a U/A certificate since the film is filled with naughty references and sequences. The film begins with the song Labon Ka Karabaar, featuring couples passionately kissing each other. While ‘slut’ was removed in Dear Zindagi, it was retained in Befikre. And believe it or not, there’s a one-second shot of Ranveer showing his bare butt! It’s hardly there but it makes an impact! And no, it’s not blurred.
Pahlaj Nihalani had made tall claims that he won’t favour some filmmakers over others and that the rules will be the same for all. And that’s what it seemed since he equally targeted big as well as small films (the Udta Punjab controversy is one of the biggest in recent times). But the way he has favoured Befikre by keeping ‘objectionable’ scenes intact does raise lot of eyebrows. Also, his claims that kisses in Befikre are ‘signs of affection, warmth and kinship’ are highly debatable. The kisses are sexual and titillating. Moreover, Mr Nihalani might argue that retaining ‘slut’ was necessary keeping in mind the context of the sequence in Befikre. Well, then what’s the rationable behind muting the said word in Dear Zindagi? Even there, Alia’s dialogues could have made the right impact if the term wasn’t muted.
Do you think Befikre has been left off lightly? Do share your thoughts in the comments section!