Ayushman Khurrana and his onscreen gay partner Jitendra Kumar can take a breather now — Their kiss in Indian cinema’s first mainstream gay film Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan is not only intact in the trailer, it will also go scot-free in the film itself.
Says a source close to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), “No member of the censor board had any objection to the same-sex kiss in the trailer. However, the expletive that Gajraj Rao (playing Jitendra Kumar’s father) utters when he sees his son kissing with his male lover, has been beeped.”
Another source close to producer Aanand L Rai adds, “Aanand was very apprehensive about the kiss. He wanted a ‘U’ certificate for the trailer of Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan. And for that, he was anxious that the CBFC would ask for the kiss to be removed. But no one objected to the kiss, only to the gaali that Gajraj Rao utters when the kiss happens.”
According to very reliable sources, the CBFC has no plans of removing the kiss scene. “They are looking at it as a love story and not a gay love story, a sure sign that the censor board in India has evolved,” says the source.
In all likelihood, the film will walk away into the theatres with a ‘UA’ certificate, which means curious children accompanied by adults can ask why Ayushmann Khurrana is kissing that uncle on his lips. Fair warning, parents!
