Subhash K Jha (DNA; October 5, 2017)

Onir’s film about a bunch of people in heterosexual and gay relationships in Shab has been denied the right to a television screening.

Producer Sheetal Talwar says, “We had an ‘A’ for theatrical release. This was fine. Shab deals with adult topics. We know children should not watch films with sexual content. So, before we applied for a new censor certificate for the home medium, we made suitable modifications. To our shock, we were told the film cannot be granted a ‘U/A’ because of its adult theme. This means we can’t show the film on television. For a small film, that did not do well at the box office, this is a huge financial blow.”

Sheetal reveals he was open to a dialogue to see how Shab could be altered for telecast. “But, now, according to a new policy at the CBFC, producers can’t have any dialogue or discussion with the panelists after they view a film. This basically means, once you are given a certification, you have to take it or appeal to the Tribunal.”