This is why Pahlaj Nihalani is fine with Ranveer Singh’s butt in Befikre!

John Abraham and Tusshar Kapoor’s semi-naked butts are distant seconds now as the board has shown a willingness to understand and accept the context of a love making scene.

The Central Board Of Film Certification headed by Pahlaj Nihalani, which is often accused of being unfair to films, has once again surprised everybody by clearing Ranveer Singh and Vaani Kapoor’s intense romance in Befikre.

Befikre is produced by Yash Raj Films, and has Ranveer Singh in the lead role.

A scene in the film in fact shows Singh’s bare back, a first-time sight in Bollywood.

John Abraham and Tusshar Kapoor’s semi-naked butts in Dostana and Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 are distant seconds now as the board, popularly referred as the Censor Board, has shown a willingness to understand and accept the context of a love-making scene.

On the bold scene, Bollywood Hungama has quoted Nihalani as saying: “We shortened Ranveer Singh’s butt shot quite a lot. Right now it’s just a glimpse, no more. What’s wrong with it? He is alone with his girlfriend in a room. They are doing what couples do when they are alone. Why is a butt shot objectionable? We’ve allowed butt shots in some recent Hollywood films. Also in Madhur Bhandarkar’s Jail.”

Right. There’s nothing wrong with it. But then what was wrong with Shahid Kapoor’s pissing scene in Udta Punjab. To make things easier, no body parts were shown in Udta Punjab.

Read: How censor board made Udta Punjab bleed: Here are all the 94 cuts

Read: No more cuts? Censor board clears new ratings to allow adult content in films

This is the same board that objected to James Bond’s escapades in Spectre.

Interestingly, Nihalani adds, “We have to keep in mind that the romance is set in Paris where kissing is a common way of greeting one another.”

He further says, “See, unlike Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, Spectre or Tamasha where the kisses were done in lengthy shots, in Befikre the kisses are scattered and largely fleeting and all over the place. They are done as part of the narration. I am a filmmaker myself. I know what can be cut without hampering the flow of the narrative. In Befikre there is no way we could cut the kisses without interrupting the flow of the story. Aditya Chopra has treated the kisses as part of the story. If we removed the kisses we’d be hampering the storytelling.”

Read: Raaz Reboot passed with no cuts by CBFC: Mukesh Bhatt

Read: Censor or certification? Curb on CBFC’s powers tells whose time has come

One can understand his dilemma as the chief of Censor Board and the controversies he kicks off with every second big film. He might be under-pressure to not look like the only loser in this whole process of releasing a film with kisses and nudity. But isn’t this leniency also points towards the fact that Yash Raj Films is the biggest production house in Bollywood right now.

YRF is known for its grip on the industry and on the distributors. Many internet publishers, including AIB, have faced their wrath by publishing their copyrighted content even with their permission.

So, has Nihalani been extra favourable to YRF In Befikre?