Prakash Jha's censor battle ended with the Tribunal clearing Jai GangaaJal with a 'U/A' certificate and without cuts
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 23, 2016)
On Friday, the Film Certification Appellate Tribunat (FCAT) passed Prakash Jha's upcoming cop drama, Jai GangaaJal, with a 'U/A' certificate and without cuts. They only wanted a word in a sentence addressing lead actress Priyanka Chopra deleted and a shot reduced by two seconds. It was a clean chit to the filmmaker who was locked in a battle with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) in Mumbai.
As Mirror (January 5) had reported, after the Examining Committee failed to arrive at a consensus on the certification, the matter was referred to Pahlaj Nihalani. The chairperson headed the Revising Committee and after the screening Jha was offered a 'U/A' with 11 cuts which, if applied, across the film would add up to 50-odd changes. These included cuss words like 'saala' and 'ghanta' which Jha argued were used in everyday conversations in the hinterlands where his film is set and not anti-national or anti-religious.
None of these words offended the FCAT members who agreed that film should not be disturbed. "What surprised them was a handwritten letter in the file sent from Mumbai stating that I'd accepted all the cuts suggested by the Board for a 'U/A'. This is what Pahlaj had conveyed to the media. I denied it completely and the censor officer has been asked for an explanation," informs Jha.
This is the third film he has taken to the FCAT, after Raajneeti and Chakravyuh. "Pahlaj treats filmmakers like they are a part of his fiefdom. Whatever his personal views on cuss words are, he needs to take them in the right context. The Tribunal refused to accept his view and allowed me to have my say. Today, I stand vindicated," he signs off.