Keep it intact or go for the money?

Editing a film for a theatrical release and then television can be a laborious task. The Dirty Picture (TDP), deemed unfit to be aired on the small screen despite acquiring a U/A certificate, is just the latest in a long line of films that have been there and done that.

Editing a film for a theatrical release and then television can be a laborious task. The Dirty Picture (TDP), deemed unfit to be aired on the small screen despite acquiring a U/A certificate, is just the latest in a long line of films that have been there and done that.

Rajkumar Gupta, director of No One Killed Jessica (2011), had to cut slang from his film and visuals of blood. He says, “We had to edit words we use in daily life, but are deemed cuss words and thus not fit for TV.”

Compromise is the word, as filmmakers are forced to bow down and edit their creative product for the sake of business. “You would want people to see your film as it is. I am waiting for a day when censorship won’t be required,” says director Rohan Sippy. For his film, Dum Maro Dum (2011), he had to edit scenes such as one where Abhishek Bachchan interrogates a suspect violently and another featuring drug consumption. Rohan adds, “TV means huge revenues and getting films censored for TV isn’t a novelty. One has to balance between chopping a film for the tube, yet keeping its essence intact.”

Mahesh Bhatt chips in: “Ideally, the producer wants to eat the cake and have it too. In the fight between the creative and commercial, it is always the latter that triumphs. The director would want a mindshare, but the producer wants money.”