CBFC is at it again; removes ‘sensuous and explicit’ visuals from Khaali Peeli; replaces ‘r****i’ with ‘aunty’

One of the advantages of having direct OTT releases was that the films would be free of censorship. Hence, expletives and intimate scenes were shown freely without haphazard cuts. But now with Khaali Peeli releasing not just online but also in drive-in cinemas in Bengaluru and Gurugram, getting the censor certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) became mandatory for the makers. And unfortunately, the Ishaan Khatter-Ananya Panday starrer has faced several cuts, a few of them being laughable.

As per the cut list, the ‘sensuous and explicit’ visuals in the song 'Tehas Nehas' have been removed. Two scenes of Choksi Seth (Swananad Kirkire) staring lecherously at Pooja (Ananya Panday) have been removed and also the vulgar-induced dialogues in these sequences. Other dialogues to have been snipped from the final cuts are ‘Saale nalla hai tu. Fattu hai’, ‘Dus saal tak virgin raha; hold karke baitha tha’, ‘virgin bhramachari’ and ‘harami’. ‘Tichya Aaila’, meanwhile, was muted. In some dialogues, so-called objectionable terms were replaced. ‘Maa ki aankh’ was replaced with ‘bhains ki aankh’, ‘maa ki’ was replaced with ‘bhains ki’, ‘item’ with ‘ladki’ and ‘r****i’ was replaced with ‘aunty’. The CBFC also told the makers to insert a disclaimer in the beginning stating that all those associated with the film are against the exploitation and objectification of children and women. Lastly, anti-smoking ad was added at the beginning of the second half and the font size of anti-smoking tickers was increased.

After all these changes were made, Khaali Peeli was passed by the CBFC with a U/A certificate on September 22. The total length of the film is 119 minutes. A source close to the project says that the makers would be releasing the censored version on the OTT platform Zee Plex as well.

Also Read: Khaali Peeli: Ananya Panday shares new stills, says ‘mehendi laga ke rakhna’