Anubhav Sinha’s Bheed has been released in theatres today. The film, which stars Rajkummar Rao along with an ensemble cast, chronicles the hardships and brutalities during the initial nationwide lockdowns caused by Covid-19. However, the film has courted controversy even before release. First, the director was forced to remove PM Narendra Modi’s speech from the trailer (and eventually the film), following which the Censor Board ordered 13 cuts in the film.
The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) ordered 13 cuts in the film while giving it a U/A certificate. The details of those cuts and modifications have now been leaked. These includes censoring of several swear words across the film, as well s mention of communally sensitive terms like Corona Jihad, Mahagrantha, etc.
The film will also feature reduced intimate sequences as well as nudity. Mention of caste status from the dialogue has also been removed in multiple places. The frequency of the mention of the Tablighi Jamaat – the religious group accused of spreading Covid-19 in 2020 – has also been reduced by the CBFC. Another big change in Bheed is the removal of the line which compares the migrant crisis in the film to the Partition of India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech that had announced the first lockdown has been removed as well. Visuals of police brutality and scenes where police personnel were shown beating migrant workers have also been reduced and all the stats related to Covid-19 in the film have also been modified. The disclaimer, shown in the beginning of the film, has also been modified.
Bheed also stars Bhumi Pednekar, Pankaj Kapur, Dia Mirza, Ashutosh Rana, Kritika Kamra, Aditya Shrivastava, Kumud Mishra, and Veerendra Saxena. The film has been shot and released completely in black and white and does not contain any songs either.
