Bharati Dubey (MID-DAY; January 22, 2015)

The censor certificate continues to elude MSG: The Messenger Of God, which proved to be a bone of contention between the censor board and the government.

The Film Certification Appellate Tribunal had given a quick go ahead to the film last week with a ‘U’ certificate but made a few recommendations — the makers were asked to insert two disclaimers and mute a couple of dialogues too. However, the changes have not been properly accommodated, say sources.

A source reveals, “The producers submitted a revised CD of the film but found out that the corrections were not up to the mark. One of the dialogues was not properly muted. So, they have been asked to make the changes and submit it to the censor board’s office in Mumbai.” The disclaimers suggested have to state that the film does not intend to hurt any religious sentiments.

Aditya Insan, the film’s spokesperson, says: “We will make the necessary changes and resubmit the film as soon as possible.” The film featuring godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan became a topic of debate after it was rejected by the censor board’s examining committee as well as the revising panel for public screening. The committee referred the film to the tribunal as it felt the film may cause law and order problems and promotion of superstition and blind faith could hurt religious sentiments.

The tribunal watched the film in New Delhi on January 15 and cleared it within 24 hours of submission. Reports of the clearance fuelled a spate of resignations in the censor board, including that of its chief Leela Samson.