MUMBAI: It is official. The Da Vinci Code will be released in India on May 19. The censor board has passed the movie without a cut in a screening held on Monday. The only condition is Sony Pictures will have to get an Adult certificate and a disclaimer in the beginning of the movie saying it is “a work of fiction and bears no resemblance to people dead or alive”. Now, the disclaimer is at the end.
Usually a four-member jury sits for the screening. The jury that sat for the Da Vinci screening had three members of the minority community: Retired Cop Julio Rebeiro, and Father Richard Lane Smith and Father Myron Pereira from St. Xavier’s College. But members from the censor board could not be brought on record to either verify or deny the names.
But there seems to be a question on how soon Sony Pictures can meet demands put forth by the censor board. Sony Pictures’ spokesperson Vikramjit Roy had ruled out changes in the publicity material. Following the ruling, he, however, said “As soon as a formal decision is conveyed we would let you know.”
All India Christian Council general secretary Abraham Mathai, said, “Christians would have appreciated a ban. If the movie is screened without the disclaimer, it would expose the producer’s motive to blaspheme the faith.”
Joseph Dias of the Catholic Secular Forum said, “The disclaimer is a welcome sign, but, we will continue to pressure the censor board to agree to a ban and also appeal to higher political authorities.”
