Anurag Kashyap’s Censor Woes For Shaitan

Like Bollywood filmmakers don’t have enough trouble with politicians and competition with each other, the Central Board of Film Certification, is no less. In what must be a first in Bollywood history, the CBFC was not satisfied by a mere announcement that flashes on the screen at the start of a film and insisted on the producer himself appearing on the screen and announcing what normally comes as a two-line statement after the censor certificate. The film in question is Anurag Kashyap’s Shaitan.

Since the film shows characters smoking and consuming drugs, the Central Board of Film Certification asked Kashyap to announce that smoking and doing drugs are injurious to health. The producer, unfortunately, was in Bangkok, holidaying with his little daughter when his film was seen by the CBFC last week. But as it is due for release this week, there wasn’t much time he could buy. Resultantly, Anurag Kashyap shot the two-line announcement on himself while in Bangkok, and sent the tape to India for inclusion in the film. It is only after this was done that the CBFC cleared the film and issued it an ‘A’ certificate last week.