Its violent content aside, Raees has found praise from the Censor Board. The film apparently recreates the life and crimes of a well-known gangster-turned-politician in Gujarat. It has some aesthetically executed action scenes, which could have been a cause for concern for the Censors. However, the Board saw the violence as integral to the theme and not in the least offensive.
Verbal cuts, but no expletives
Says a source close to the development, “They granted Raees a ‘UA’ with six verbal cuts and those cuts were not abuses. Shah Rukh plays a ganglord, but doesn’t utter a single expletive. It is amazing how much he respects the aesthetics of his family audience. The Board members praised Shah Rukh for keeping the dialogues clean even while acting out his business.”
Adds the source, “The Board asked for deletion of dialogues that cast aspersions on real-life characters. Since Raees claims to be a fictional work, there can’t be any references to real-life situations and people. Those are the cuts they’ve made.”
No visual cuts
A relieved Ritesh Sidhwani (the film’s producer) says, “I am happy no visual cuts were made. We were asked to make some audio changes and add a disclaimer. So overall, we’re pleased with the censor’s verdict.”
