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Blade Runner 2049: Progressive CBFC allows f-word but wants CGI nudity, liquor bottles removed
Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford’s Blade Runner is going under the CBFC’s knife for showing nudity through computer graphics.
Many let out a sigh of relief and cried ‘good riddance’ when Pahlaj Nihalani was dethroned as the Central Board of Film Certification chief in August but little seems to have changed since then. The new CBFC is keeping the legacy alive by imposing its sense of morality on films and what they show to the country’s audience.
In yet another attempt at preserving the people’s morals, CBFC has ordered that scenes showing nudity, even if generated through computer graphics, be cut from Blade Runner 2049, a highly-awaited, upcoming sci-fi film. The nude characters are supposed to be artificially intelligent machines.
“Blade Runner 2049 is a futuristic saga where women are shown to be created through artificial intelligence. They can’t be shown with clothes on,” a source told DNA. The argument fell flat at CBFC’s door which insists that nudity is not allowed in any form, even if generated through computers and doesn’t involve a real human actor.
Which is again pretty weird because the board has allowed nude statues of women to be shown in the film. Both are artworks imitating the human form. Why is one permissible and the other not?
CBFC, however, did allow mentions of ‘f*ck’ and ‘f*cker’, a rarity in Indian theatres. But taking yet another turn on this roller-coaster ride of not trusting viewers’ maturity, bottles of liquor have been blurred out.
While people may have expected a new, more tolerant board under the leadership of lyricist Prasoon Joshi, the latest diktats suggest otherwise. For Judwaa 2, the filmmakers were asked to get NoCs from all persons mentioned in the film, like Alia Bhatt, to ensure they have no objection. For recently released horror film It, the board initially ordered 12 cuts, then restored all of them, then asked for three cuts again, and finally settled for just one cut.
Kangana Ranaut’s loud moans during sex were cut from Simran, as was the word ‘b*tch’ and 10 other cuts. “Derogating women by gesture or language will never be permissible under any guideline, be it Pahlaj or Prasoon ... The sound effect made the sex scene look far more provocative than it actually was so it was asked to be toned down,” a source had said.
Makes you wonder how much, if at all, things have changed.
Blade Runner 2049 is a sequel to the hit 1982 film and stars Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford in the lead roles. It releases on October 6.
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