The Censor Board had initially rejected promos of
Lamhaa and the revising committee insisted on the word
sabse (most) being deleted from the line,
Duniya ki sabse khatarnak jagah
Kashmir (Kashmir, the most dangerous place in the world) and
farji (fake) from the term ‘
farji elections’.
“Censorship problems were expected with a film like Lamhaa,” says the film’s lead actress Bipasha Basu, who plays a Kashmiri Muslim activist in Rahul Dholakia’s film.
The film is yet to be passed, but Basu hopes that the censors will be sensitive, since the film is about Kashmiris fighting for a life free from the shadows of guns. “It doesn’t talk about India-Pakistan politics but about local politics. It’s about an 18-year struggle. We’re open to suggestions from the Censor Board, even if it means tweaking the film a little,” she asserts, admitting that she can never imagine living in the Valley. “The place is outrageous, the condition of the women over there is scary, even if they come across as fiery,” says Basu. “There are no Kashmir ki kalis (beautiful women) there, except tourists who dress in traditional Kashmiri clothes for photos.”
She adds that she didn’t take lessons in Urdu for her role. “I only learnt a few words, like everyone else,” she says. “We speak Hindi and not Urdu. That would have been difficult for the average viewer to follow.”