Why the 23 kisses in 'Befikre' remained unscathed

Pahlaj Nihalani explains why the 23 kisses in Ranveer Singh's 'Befikre' remain unscathed

Is the CBFC chief changing colours?

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is changing colours. Or, so it seems.The censor board has decided to let all the kisses between Ranveer Singh and Vaani Kapoor in Befikre remain uncut. The film has been passed with a UA' certificate.

From a sternly sanskari approach to smooching in recent films like Imtiaz Ali's Tamasha and Karan Johar's Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, to a liberal global attitude to PDA in Aditya Chopra's Befikre, has the censor board become more liberal? More importantly, what does Aditya Chopra have that Imtiaz Ali and Karan Johar don't?

I cornered the CBFC chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani for some answers on the historic endorsement of Mr Singh and Ms Kapoor's khullam-khulla smooching binge in Befikre

Mr Nihalani was unusually candid. "Firstly, there is a difference in the intention and purpose of the kisses in Befikre and the ones you mention in the earlier films (Tamasha, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil). Those earlier kisses were very intimate and sexual in nature, and also shot in lingering close-ups. In Befikre the kisses are used as signs of affection warmth and kinship. And they are not shot in close-ups. That makes a helluva difference in terms of impact."

The censor chief also makes a pointed reference to the global nature of Aditya Chopra's romance. "I feel Befikre reflects a global attitude to public affection. Aditya Chopra has made a film that will appeal to young people all across the world regardless of creed, class, culture, colour and race. In that sense Befikre is not reflective of Indian values per se . It's not a mirror of the Indian middle-class sanskaar. It's more about how the young, even young Indians, behave when they are abroad and are brought up with different values."

The Parisian set-up serves as an immunity to what would otherwise be considered improper behaviour.

Explains Mr Nihalani, "See, in India kissing in public is still taboo. But in Paris it's openly done.It's an accepted form of affection not just for couples in love but also a form greeting between two friends when they meet .We can't apply our own cultural rules to people outside."

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