22 August,2014 07:29 AM IST | | Bharati Dubey
With Yash Raj Films not agreeing to seven major cuts in the film, the Rani Mukerji-starrer will not be shown across the border
Rani Mukherji's Mardaani will not release in Pakistan. It turns out that not only did Pakistan's Censor Board give it an A certificate, but it also demanded seven major cuts in the film which Yash Raj Films is said to have not agreed to. As a result, the film will no longer release in Pakistan.
Rani Mukerji in a still from 'Mardaani'. Pic/Santa Banta
A source says, ''When Pakistan's Censor Board saw the film, they gave it an A certificate. Besides that, they also asked for several changes to be made; they asked for around seven cuts and demanded that certain scenes be blurred. The film's creative team felt that this was robbing the film of its essence. They didn't want these changes to distort the film's message and dilute it. As a result, they have not agreed to the cuts and the film will not release in Pakistan."
Some of the scenes that Pakistan's Censor Board found objectionable included scenes showing human trafficking, teenage girls being auctioned off and some police interrogation sequences. Mardaani will be the second Yash Raj film to not to release in Pakistan, Ek Tha Tiger was also banned there as it allegedly featured anti-Pakistan sentiments and didn't clearance from Pakistan's Censor Board.
Adds the source, "Mardaani's team had a thorough discussion and they reached the conclusion that they did not want to compromise on their film's essence. They haven't agreed to the cuts and the film will not release in Pakistan."
Pakistani distributor Rehmat K Fazli says, "Yes, it is the film's adult content that got in the way. There were too many deletions for any sane person to accept it. So it was rejected for public exhibition."
