Censor Trouble For Aamir Khan’s Film
Just few days before its release, the CBFC has asked for cuts which the actor may not agree to
Sitaare Zameen Par — Aamir Khan’s sensitively adapted version of the 2018 Spanish film Champions by Javier Fesser — has hit a hurdle just six days before its scheduled release on June 20.
Reliable sources close to the project, which features Aamir as a coach training a group of autistic children in basketball, reveal that the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), has asked for a few cuts.
Aamir, true to form, has refused to comply. “And rightly so!” says producer Sheetal Talwar, who watched Sitaare Zameen Par last week. “What kind of cuts could they possibly be asking for? It’s like asking for edits in The Sound of Music or in Aamir’s earlier film Taare Zameen Par. These are sacred, inviolable films. Not a single frame should be touched.”
Producer Prerna Arora echoes the same sentiment. “It’s baffling. We see all kinds of vulgarity and double entendres pass freely in recent comedies. And yet, Aamir Khan — who consistently delivers cinema that uplifts society — is being asked to make cuts,” she said. When contacted, Khan confirmed that the film is still awaiting final clearance from the CBFC.
“They are re-viewing the film on Monday,” he said. “I’m hopeful we’ll have the censor certificate in hand by Tuesday.”
