After facing objection from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) in the first screening, Shonali Bose's Margarita, With a Straw now comes out clean chit.
Earlier, the censors wanted a shot showing the lead character peeing cut, and a 12-second kissing scene between Kalki Koechlin and her lesbian lover removed from the film which is about a woman with cerebral palsy coming to terms with her queer sexuality.
But in a rare move, the film has now got a clearance from the CBFC's Revising Committee. “We've come out with only a single cut!“ says an elated Shonali.
However, the director is not happy with the Revising Committee shortening a 16-second scene involving a straight couple having sex. The director has been asked to tone it down by 50 percent. The makers had to take a decision right away or else go to the Tribunal.
“With the release scheduled for April 17, we didn't want to delay things and accepted the cut. Ideally, a filmmaker shouldn't be made to edit his or her film,“ says Shonali.
Talking about the scenes involving frontal-nudity, Shonali adds “We exercised self censorship and submitted a version which didn't have those scenes. The Censor Board in India would have never let them go through. Overall, I'm pleased with the Revising Committee. It has shown remarkable maturity and my film is pretty much intact. “
