Subhash K Jha (DNA; March 9, 2015)

A scene of graphic violence in Anushka Sharma’s NH10 was too much for the Censor Board’s Revising Committee (RC) when they viewed the film on Wednesday.

In this scene, the villain, played by Darshan Kumar, violates his screen sister for daring to marry outside her community

Says a member of the Censor Board, “All the film’s producers including Anushka Sharma and the director were present. They agreed to clean out the abuses scattered throughout the film. It was the honour killing scenes that caused a huge dispute. The RC was very clear about removing at least 50 per cent of the violence. But director Navdeep Singh argued that the entire plot hinges on the violence in this scene where the man brutalises his sister for marrying a man of her choice.”

The RC saw the director’s point of view and allowed the violence to remain, although these scenes challenge the guidelines of ‘no violence against women’. “We don’t want to be seen as following the guidelines blindly. We will evaluate potential cuts on a film-to-film basis. This is what our chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani has told us.”

The cuts recommended by the CBFC would have to be implemented and the film would have to be shown to the Board on Saturday morning before it is granted a censor certificate.