A reported directive from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) mandating the inclusion of a quote by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Aamir Khan’s upcoming film Sitaare Zameen Par has sparked outrage on social media.
The CBFC revising committee mandated five changes to the film, and asked the makers to include the PM's quote referencing the year 2047, as per a report by Hindustan Times. The quote, the content of which remains unspecified, has been placed immediately after the modified opening disclaimer, HT reported.
The move has not gone down well on social media, where many accused the certification board of political interference and ideological overreach. “CBFC should also insist Aamir Khan adds ‘Thank you, Modiji’ after the end in the film. Why is that not being done,” an X user posted.
“Why would CBFC order inclusion of a quote by Modi, out of the blue? This doesn't make any sense. There's something more to this story than what is mentioned here,” wrote another.
Sitaare Zameen Par, which has been granted a U/A certificate, will hit theatres on June 20. Directed by RS Prasanna, the film stars Aamir Khan and Genelia Deshmukh in lead roles and is an official adaptation of the 2018 Spanish film Champions.
The story follows a temperamental basketball coach who, as part of community service, trains a team of players with intellectual disabilities.
Apart from the Prime Minister’s quote, the board asked for the replacement of the term “business woman” with “business person”, a reduction of the disclaimer’s duration from 30 to 26 seconds with a voice-over, the removal of the word “kamal” (lotus) from visuals and subtitles, and a change in subtitles from “Michael Jackson” to “Lovebirds”.
As per reports, the CBFC certificate, dated June 17, confirms that Aamir Khan Films LLP has complied with all suggested modifications.
“CBFC has stopped censoring films, now it’s just auditioning for the propaganda department and clearing its loyalty test with every obedient cut,” commented an X user.
“India has the worst film certification board in the entire world,” wrote another angry X user.
