Gaurav Dubey (MID-DAY; May 23, 2016)

Trust the Censor Board to throw up surprises when you least expect them. At times, it shows leniency to films peppered with expletives or those with cuss words in their title while in other cases, takes offence to the least objectionable things. Now, if the latest buzz is to be believed, the Board has granted a U/A certificate to upcoming film Shorgul based on the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots. The communal massacre claimed 62 lives and resulted in the displacement of over 60,000 people in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts of Uttar Pradesh.

Says a source, “The Censor Board seems to be ignorant of the repercussions that the riots had. It was the worst episode of communal violence in UP in recent history. Fortunately for the makers, the Board passed Shorgul with a U/A certificate and effected minor cuts here and there.”

Sources close to the production team say the political drama that features Jimmy Sheirgill, Sanjay Suri, Ashutosh Rana, Hiten Tejwani and Eijaz Khan in lead roles confirm that no major cuts were suggested by the Censor Board despite the film being based on Uttar Pradesh politics, and the characters modelled after real politicians like UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, Sangeet Singh Som, Azam Khan, etc against whom there are certain allegations related to the riots.

Aman Singh, the film’s producer, says, “Yes, Shorgul has received a U/A certificate. We are happy that the Censor Board has given a fair chance to this movie to be presented before the masses.”