Exclusive: 'Respect transgenders', CBFC tells Begum Jaan, asks for multiple cuts

You can’t make derogatory references to the transgender community any longer or use terms that identify them in a demeaning manner, while addressing someone else — not in the films anyway. For years, the word “hijra” has been thrown at men to make them feel inadequate. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has decided to change that. In the much-anticipated Begum Jaan, a snide reference to the community has been snipped off.

Says a source, “The line in Begum Jaan sneered at a bunch of incompetent goons as “hijron ki fauj”(army of eunuchs). The CBFC has asked the producers to change it to naamard (lesser men).” The makers of Begum Jaan were also asked to play down the brutality of a rape threat. Adds the source, “There’s no need for rape analogies to provide graphic gyaan to the public.” The CBFC has also asked few other cuss words to be removed whenever spoken in context of the country’s Independence.