Upcoming Bollywood film "India's Most Wanted" has been granted a U/A certificate by the censor board after directing omission of scenes making a reference to religious books Bhagavad Gita and Quran, said its director Raj Kumar Gupta.
The teaser of the Arjun Kapoor-starrer had created a stir with a terrorist citing the Bhagavad Gita. In a leaked teaser doing the rounds online, Arjun's character is seen quoting the Quran.
Asked about the cuts suggested by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), Gupta told IANS: "It (the reference to the Quran) was there in the film and it was in the film's teaser when it came for the first time. It was allowed in the teaser, but when we submitted the film for certification, they informed us that it is a little sensitive.
"They asked us can we remove the Gita and Quran from the film because it is sensitive, and because it is something sensitive in nature, we did it."
Did he find it unfair?
"I don't know if it's unfair but we respect all religions, so we have to look at the sensitivity factor of it. That is why when the request came, we decided to remove it. Although it was there in the teaser, so the motivation was because it was allowed in the teaser, it would be allowed in the film. But because it was sensitive in nature and they requested us, we submitted the film without the Gita and Quran mention."
Any more cuts in the film?
"This one is a major cut, rest are small things," he said, adding that the movie has got a U/A certificate and will release on May 24.
Arjun said the censor board would have taken the decision for the betterment of the film.
"The CBFC must have had their reasons. I wasn't in the room when this discussion happened. I'm an actor who delivered the line without having an agenda. I think the audience is sensible enough to not see it as an agenda. But there is a section of society that might use it to create friction.
"I don't think that feels worth it to the CBFC. They also have to keep that in mind, so we have to respect that. They have a much broader point of view... It's an important story to be told and to be caught up in a small struggle for one word.... I think the film in itself will make the point that that one line has to make. I trust the audience," the actor told IANS.
"India's Most Wanted" is inspired by a "true story" related to a terrorist. It is about a mission of five people to nab India's most wanted terrorist -- described in the movie as India's Osama -- without any weapon or support in just four days.
On speculation that the film is about the Indian Mujahideen militant group's founder Yasin Bhatkal, Gupta told IANS: "I want people to come and watch the film, and then discuss. We want a discussion in the sense that the person whose life inspires this film was one of the wanted terrorists in India.
"Not only is the film inspired by that, but by how he was captured by these five unlikely men without firing any bullets or official support from authorities."
Gupta's motivation to make the film came from how it was an "incredible story" to tell.
"This is a film which is inspired by one of those incidents which is a landmark as far as human intelligence is concerned. It portrays the reality with which our forces, our intelligence agents or people working for the country go through with the danger of being in a job like that. Still they go out and protect us, keep us safe. This film is an attempt to say 'thank you' to them."