Adipurush dialogue writer Manoj Muntashir Shukla believes it’s a case of just five lines. “I wrote more than 4,000 lines as dialogues in Adipurush, some sentiments got hurt on five of those lines,” he wrote on social media.

The jury is still out on whether it’s five lines or more, but the fact remains that the dialogues of Adipurush have sparked caustic reactions from audiences, politicians and film critics alike ever since its release last weekend.

The film has been widely panned for showing divine characters – especially Hanuman – speak lines that the film’s makers call colloquial, but many film-watchers have found to be crass. Bowing to the pressure, the film’s team announced on Sunday that the dialogues would be altered, “valuing the input of the public and the audience”. The makers said that they are “revisiting the said dialogues, and the same will reflect in the theatres in the next few days.”

However, such moves of altering scenes and dialogues post a movie’s release are not unprecedented. Over the years, filmmakers from Guru Dutt and Bimal Roy to Sooraj Barjatya have sought post-release changes in dialogues and songs for various reasons.

While there are no recent examples, films that saw post release changes include those that were banned in some states or where the makers have made fresh edits, voluntarily. For example, Prakash Jha agreed to some changes in his film Aarakshan on the eve of its release after Uttar Pradesh and Punjab banned it over controversial scenes and dialogues. Whenever a film makes any changes, it has to get the approval of the CBFC. Sometimes, these changes are also made for the film’s satellite or streaming rights.

The makers of Dabangg 3 announced after the release of the film that they voluntarily removed certain scenes from the film’s title track, Hud Hud Dabangg. The film was trimmed by nine minutes. As per reports, about eight minutes were edited from the first half, which included a song, Awara, featuring Salman Khan and Saiee Manjrekar. Another song Naina Lade was also shortened. The film faced controversy when several groups objected to a sequence in the title song that featured saffron-clad sadhus dancing with guitars.

Elaborating on the topic, a CBFC official says, “It is not uncommon for filmmakers – especially in the case of well-known directors and big-budget films – to revise dialogues and scenes. Many filmmakers voluntarily seek modifications after certification. On an average, we receive eight to ten requests from filmmakers across languages. While the film retains the original certificate in the cinemas, any updated modifications are endorsed on back of the certificate.”

The initial reaction to Hum Aapke Hai Koun! after the industry screening was not very positive. The film, which has a running time of 3hr 26 mins, was even longer. In a recent documentary, the film’s maker, Sooraj Barjatya, said, “For Hum Aapke Hain Koun!, we had a screening and that show was a disaster. However, Adi (Aditya Chopra) told me, ‘Dhai gaane katoge toh nikal jayegi’. And honestly, it was on my mind for the last five months. He pinpointed the exact two-and-a-half songs, which I removed the next day (sic).”

Film archivist and historian Shivendra Singh Dungarpur shares that it was quite common in the ’50s and ’70s for filmmakers like Guru Dutt and Bimal Roy to modify their films if they felt the audience was not connecting with the story. Dutt reportedly reshot scenes of Pyaasa after the release and also removed a song. When Dutt visited a cinema showing Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam, he decided to reshoot the climax after seeing the disappointed audience but later changed his mind and didn’t change it. However, he did remove Meena Kumari’s song Sahil Ki Taraf and some dialogues. Similarly, Bimal Roy also changed some parts of Devdas post-release.

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has been a favourite punching bag for viewers and media ever since it became ‘too Sanskari’ from 2015 onwards. It was a time when Pahlaj Nihalani took over as the Chairperson and he introduced several changes, which made the whole process very regressive. Words like ‘lesbian’ were censored while kissing scenes were chopped off by few seconds. The heights were reached during the time of 2016 release Udta Punjab. Here, some 89 changes were proposed, including deletion of the word ‘Punjab’ and names of several cities! A huge section of film industry, media and moviegoers come together collectively to voice their protest.

More than a year after Udta Punjab’s release (with just a cut or two thankfully, courtesy the Bombay High Court), Pahlaj Nihalani was asked to step down. He was replaced by adman-lyricist Prasoon Joshi. He was seen as a much progressive and sensible person and the hope was that now these outdated ways of censoring will keep to an end once and for all. Sadly, that didn’t happen. The censoring continued, but probably in a much lesser scale than in Pahlaj Nihalani era.

Some of the cuts were extreme and it rightfully made it to the news. Last year, viewers were shocked when the Hollywood film Hereditary was mercilessly butchered, despite the ‘A’ certificate. A crucial climax scene had nudity and it was cut in such a way that moviegoers couldn’t comprehend what’s going on. Another adults-only Hollywood film that faced many cuts was John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. It’s a gory action film and the scenes of violence and blood and also abuses got edited out. This film released on May 17, 2019 and the same day the romcom De De Pyaar De also hit theatres. In a bizarre move, a scene featuring Rakul Preet Singh drinking in a wedding was censored. What was amusing was that the alcohol bottle was replaced by a bunch of flowers! An industry source says, “In the same sequence, actor Ajay Devgn can be seen drinking and that bit was retained. So, I guess the CBFC just had problems with a lady drinking in a shaadi. That’s quite a regressive mindset.”



The CBFC has always had problems with depiction of alcohol on screen. For every scene involving hard drinks, a ticker mentioning that consumption of alcohol is injurious to health has to be compulsorily inserted on the bottom right of the corner. The alcohol brands are a strict no-no and it’s common to see bottles being blurred for the same reason. This is not a justified move but it’s become very common. However, what’s not common is characters consuming alcohol in a glass where no company name is visible and yet, the blurring is done! This is what happened with the recent Hollywood release Ford v Ferrari. A few days before its release on November 15, the press screening was held from where pictures were clicked of scenes where glasses containing liquor were hastily pixelated. It affected the impact of the said scenes and angered the audiences. Even Farhan Akhtar tweeted about it.

The assumption was that the CBFC yet again has come in the way to force their diktat. As expected, it earned the wrath of the fans. A week later however, Prasoon Joshi spoke about this episode and made it clear that the said cuts were done ‘voluntarily by the makers’ and that he’s disappointed with the spread of the ‘false news’. The cut list of Ford v Ferrari confirms that Prasoon Joshi is indeed right. The only censoring that was done in the film was muting of abusive words.

This brings us to the new trend adopted by studios, especially the ones distributing Hollywood films. They themselves censor stuff they feel will be asked to remove and then submit for certification. The Independence Day release Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, of Sony Pictures, also comes in the same category. There’s not a single cut done by the CBFC! Many news outlets also made news out of it that how this much awaited Hollywood flick has been passed uncut by the ‘progressive’ CBFC! However, when viewers ventured out to see the film, they realized many words have been muted. And that’s because Sony themselves played the Sanskaari card and didn’t allow the CBFC to do so!

So why are these studios doing in-house censoring? “It’s simple,” says a trade source and adds, “By now, everyone knows which scenes and words will be edited out. And it’s a long process. The producer submits the film, then the CBFC views and asks for cuts, the cuts have to be made and shown to the CBFC and then the certificate is secured. Hence, in order to save time, the studios or the distributors feel it’s better they themselves blur or mute before the CBFC does so.” With regards to the Ford v Ferrari fiasco, the same source explains, “Fox Star Studios however went too far it seems. They even got alcohol glasses blurred, which is something the CBFC would have told them to do. But they did it anyway, not wanting to take a risk. And CBFC ka toh waise bhi naam kharab hi hai. So everyone naturally assumed that Censor guys must have played mischief, like they always do. But only this time, they weren’t to blame.”

Yet, Prasoon Joshi can’t walk away scot-free. There’s no guarantee that the Examining Committee of CBFC would have let the alcohol scenes go censor-free if those scenes weren’t blurred. He and CBFC have created this atmosphere because of which Fox and Sony are going the extra length of getting the censoring done themselves. To give credit where it’s due, Prasoon has indeed been progressive at times. For instance, he allowed the Sonia Gandhi reference and a reference related to Ram Mandir in The Sky Is Pink and Bala respectively. In one crucial scene of Article 15, the characters are discussing various logos of political parties and even here, no cut or mute was enforced. However, consistency is needed.

Sadly for moviegoers, no significant change can be expected in this regard. In the Ford v Ferrari controversy, Prasoon has proclaimed his innocence. He’ll also use this episode in future to show how progressive CBFC has become and that it’s not his fault if people are censoring and then submitting films for certification. And unlike how it was in Pahlaj Nihalani era, the industry is not up in arms against these cuts. And there’s a reason for that, it seems. In an exclusive interview to Bollywood Hungama last year, Pahlaj had alleged that “Prasoon Joshi has added a new clause that whatever modifications asked by the CBFC should remain confidential between the CBFC and the applicant. And if they don’t adhere to it, the certificate can even get revoked. Now tell me which filmmaker would stand the risk of revoking his film’s certificate.” To verify this huge claim has been a task but it won’t be surprising if it’s indeed true. In the last one year, this writer has tried to get a few filmmakers on record after their films got censored but they refused to speak about it at all. As a result, without the much-needed support of the industry, the sanskaari ways of CBFC will continue.

Akash Bhatnagar (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 8, 2019)

The funeral of J Om Prakash, who passed away in Mumbai on Wednesday, took place in Vile Parle around noon. His grandson Hrithik Roshan, who was present with mom Pinky (the late filmmaker’s daughter), father Rakesh and uncle Rajesh, performed the last rites. His ex-wife Sussanne Khan turned up with their sons, Hrehaan and Hridhaan.

Abhishek Bachchan, Kunal Kapoor, Madhu Mantena, Sanjay Gupta, Jeetendra, Prem Chopra with wife Uma and Pahlaj Nihalani were among the visitors. Amitabh Bachchan paid tribute to the late filmmaker with a tweet: “J Om Prakash ji, Producer Director of eminence, passed away this morning .. a kind gentle affable being .. my neighbor, Hrithik’s grandfather .. sad!! Prayers for his soul (sic).”

Actor Deepak Parashar told Mirror, “Mr Omprakash’s wife and my uncle’s wife are sisters. I got a chance to work with him Aap Toh Aise Na The. It’s very saddening and heartbreaking to see him leave us. I can relate to one of his songs right now, “Sheesha Ho Ya Dil Ho”.

Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 6, 2019)

She would have turned 54 on April 3 had death not snatched her away 19 years ago, but for many Nazia Hassan is still a star. “Jab Bhi Miltay Hain Hum Aur Tum, Aankhon Aankhon Main Hotay Hain Gum, Dil Bolay Boom Boom, Haan, Boom Boom ” echoes in the collective consciousness of those who grew up in the ’80s when the brother-sister duo of Nazia and Zoheb made us disco deewane. “We were very young then, barely into our teens, and had no idea what music we were creating. We were just being ourselves, growing up in London, the East-West fusion happened naturally and caught the attention of (composer) Biddu,” Zoheb reminisces from London.

The trio’s 1981 Disco Deewane was the best-selling Asian pop album, charting in 14 countries worldwide. “We had recorded eight songs but HMV wanted one more, a title track with the word ‘disco’ in it. While brainstorming, the words ‘disco deewane’ came up and Biddu asked, ‘What’s deewane?’ When told it translated as ‘crazy’ he said, ‘Let’s go with it!’ I suggested the ‘ah ha’ which became an integral part of the song,” he recounts. A revamped version, titled ‘The Disco Song’, was used in the 2012 campus romance, Student Of The Year.

While Biddu has become synonymous with Nazia and Zoheb, not many are aware that Bappi Lahiri who would meet them whenever he was in London, coaxed the siblings to fly to Mumbai towards the end of ’85, after Nazia’s sensational debut in Feroz Khan’s Qurbani with “Aap Jaisa Koi”, and during their week-long stay, recorded “Main Aaya Tere Liye” with them for Pahlaj Nihalani’s Ilzaam (right, above). “Nazia had a great voice and a distinctive style, the song was created specially for her. They came around 7 pm and by 11 pm we were done. It was filmed on Anita Raaj and Govinda became very popular but they never visited again. She was such a pyaari bachchi with such a beautiful voice,” sighs Pahlaj.

Zoheb informs that living in UK, they were used to working in western studios with multi-tracking systems and were astounded when told the song would be recorded in one go with a live orchestra. “We had never seen anything like this before but everyone was so well-coordinated and I was thrilled to be told I was giving the playback for Govinda, the hottest actor of the time,” he reminisces.

Soon after, his sister nervously told him that that she would be singing with the legendary Kishore Kumar (right) and was clearly rattled. Zoheb reassured her that she would fine and accompanied her to the studio for the recording of “No Entry” (left; above) for Main Balwaan. “Kishore Kumar had such an amazing voice, so much strength, clarity and control,” he raves. Bappida adds that his Kishore mama who usually sang with Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle at the time, was astounded when introduced to Nazia. “Such a young girl and so famous,” he marveled and was very encouraging, also collaborating with her on “Rock ‘n’ Roll.”

The brother-sister duo recorded one last song, “Aap Ka Shukriya” for the Shatrughan Sinha, Poonam Dhillon starrer Saaya with Bappida before returning home. “We were young kids from Wimbledon, Nazia, the star, and I her sidekick, yet India showered so much love and appreciation on us, shukriya,” says an emotional Zoheb who still can’t believe how stardom dawned on them.

Feroz Khan was filming Qurbani when he bumped into them in London. “Who does this guitar belong to?” he asked. Zoheb (left) picked it up and started strumming while Nazia sang. And suddenly, the actor-filmmaker from India was saying this was the voice he was looking for and asking their parents if Nazia could sing for his film. “We had exams and they were reluctant but he was able to persuade them. We went to the studio for the first time, Nazia recorded 'Aap Jaisa Koi', it was done in an hour, we returned home and forgot all about it. Then, the film released, the song and Nazia were a sensation. I guess good things happen unexpectedly, just like this,” he muses.

Bappida informs me that they were working on an album when she fell ill and passed away. “Except for one song, 'Dil Ki Lagi', it remained unreleased. Nazia was a lovely girl, she went away too soon,” he trails off even as words of her first song resonate within me, “Aap Jaisa Koi Mere Zindagi Mein Aaye, To Baat Ban Jaaye, Baat Ban Jaaye.”

Swati Mathur (THE TIMES OF INDIA; December 19, 2018)

New Delhi: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament has censured the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for meting out “preferential” treatment to big filmmakers and inordinately delaying certification of films even after they are cleared by the Board’s examining committee.

Even as allegations of favouritism have piled up against the Censor Board, the PAC report, based on its examination of the working of CBFC, admonished it for playing ‘partisan’. It also faulted the ministry of information and broadcasting for its failure to rein in the Board.

In recent months, the sharpest take-down of the CBFC was by its former chief Pahlaj Nihalani, who had alleged that even though he applied for a certificate for his film ‘Rangeela Raja’ first, CBFC allowed Aamir Khan-starrer ‘Thugs Of Hindostan’ to jump the queue.

Proving Nihalani’s allegations right, the PAC, in its report, said, “The committee was dismayed to note that CBFC, in order to help big filmmakers who had applied for certification very close to release date, granted certificates to their films ahead of other applicants even when there was no such urgency expressed.”

The PAC was also unconvinced by the ministry’s response to its recommendations. “The ministry apprised the committee regarding measures taken to correct the certification process. However, no guidelines have been issued for alteration of the order of certification, as desired... committee is of the view that clear instructions... are imperative to rule out any favouritism towards big banners,” it said. The PAC had recommended an internal audit system to ensure certification process works efficiently.

Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; November 27, 2018)

As a lyricist, he puts feelings into words. As a screenwriter, he adds visual imagination to what is a mere story. And as the chief of the Central Board of Film Certification, he strives to strike a balance between cinematic sensibilities and social responsibilities. At the recent International Film Festival of India, BT spoke to Prasoon Joshi about the importance of poetry and why certification plays a key role in India. Excerpts...

Just about everything in cinema, except writing lyrics and poetry, has become a profession. Can being a poet become a profession in India?
Poetry can’t be a full-fledged profession because certain things cannot be seen in a straight-jacketed or calculated manner. Can poetry be a factory product? No, but the significance of encouraging people to write poetry should be understood. You must have noticed that leaders and business bigwigs often quote poems in their speeches when straight sentences fall short and they want to express themselves. When people find poetry so helpful, I wonder why it is not taught adequately. If the poetic eye is dead, we lose a lot as a society. We should have more appreciators and nurturers of poetry to make our children better human beings. They will become more compassionate and we will have diverse views, become nuanced as people and have a more sensitive society.

With your role as the CBFC chief, Bollywood assignments and other engagements, how do you make time for poetry?
I make my plans broadly. Of course, I do miscalculate sometimes, but being a part of the advertising profession, which is more deadline-driven than films, I am disciplined with timings. It’s all a question of priorities. Life does take a toll on all of us, par kuch cheezon ke liye waqt churana padta hai.

Among your professional responsibilities, your role as the CBFC chief is probably the one that is more daunting. Do you agree?
CBFC’s work doesn’t come naturally to me because I am an artist, and assessing someone’s work while balancing cinematic sensibilities and societal responsibilities is not easy. It’s an honorary job that I have with the CBFC, but whenever I am asked for an opinion, I step in. For me, everything has been a learning experience. I believe in taking on challenges and when this role was offered to me, I decided to try my best. It’s easy to be an armchair critic; most people chicken out when the time comes to face challenges. I decided to brave the challenge. People in the industry were receptive with me, which is why things have been quite smooth so far. Film certification is an important part of filmmaking. You can’t tell a consumer that I love your share of the wallet, but I don’t want your share of the voice. It’s a different matter when you do something for your own satisfaction, but the moment you do it commercially, you have to act responsibly. My fundamental belief is that artists don’t want to harm and that makes things easy for me. Sometimes, people are so engrossed in creating their work that they can’t think of how things will be perceived. People listen to me, they understand my point of view, and so, we have a peaceful dialogue to reach a common ground.

Pahlaj Nihalani has been crying foul about the cuts being suggested in his film Rangeela Raja…
As creative people, we have to understand that there are certain issues which are more important than ever before and we can’t take them casually. One is the portrayal of women. The objections/suggestions/modifications that were suggested for Rangeela Raja were around that. In the name of humour, if you are glorifying violence against women, or if objectification of women is shown as entertainment, we need to take a call. Of course, you can bring in the age-old argument of freedom of expression and say, ‘I am free to express the way I want.’ Yes, you are free to express, but do it a little more sensitively. For many years, we have approached the portrayal of women in our cinema, casually. If we don’t introspect, we can’t change anything in that space. One important issue the CBFC faces is that when a film is offered an A certificate, which was the case here as well, the makers insisted on UA. When a film’s makers demand UA certificate for a film permissible only for adults, it puts us in a tight spot. We can’t allow children to watch content meant for adults. I don’t want to talk about Mr Nihalani here, because he is an elder and I have never commented on him as an individual. We need to understand that when a committee comprising 70 per cent women strongly feels that a particular film cannot be watched by children with their parents, we should respect that. The purpose of certification is to help people make an informed choice about a film.

Talking about the portrayal of women, you have written the dialogue and lyrics for Manikarnika - The Queen of Jhansi. Given that the film has been through plenty of ups and downs, how has the experience been? And how would things work when the film comes up for certification given that you are still the head of the CBFC?
Rani Laxmibai is exemplary, I have huge respect for her. It was a fantastic experience presenting her life on celluloid. Personally, it was a life-enhancing experience to learn so much about her. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag gave me an insight into the world of sports and the mind of a wonderful sportsperson. Taare Zameen Par helped me understand dyslexia. Manikarnika gave me an insight into our fight for freedom. While the fate of a film is not in anyone’s hands, a lot of hard work has gone into it over a period of time. When it comes to certification, I distance myself from every film that involves me. I did that for Vishwaroopam 2 as well.

Hiren Kotwani (DNA; November 25, 2018)

The FCAT (Film Certification Appellate Tribunal) saw Pahlaj Nihanali’s film, Rangeela Raja, in Delhi on Friday. Also present for the screening was the CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification) team.

However, the verdict has apparently been put on hold till Monday. The Govinda-starrer got into a controversy when the filmmaker didn’t agree to the 20 cuts for the U/A rating and approached the Bombay High Court. Following the HC’s directive to exhaust his options first, Nihalani approached FCAT last Thursday (November 15). However, post the screening on Friday (November 23), the case was heard by the Tribunal. Says the filmmaker, “Usually, only the applicant and the Tribunal are there for the screening. This time, I think it’s after a long time that the CBFC team from Mumbai attended a FCAT hearing because they want to prove that they are right. It seemed as if the CBFC lawyer wasn’t aware of a number of things. He was saying that the song Yogi is vulgar, even though it has been certified ‘U’ and is playing on television and online.”

Nihalani summed up saying he was hopeful of getting justice on Monday. “Having been a chairperson of the CBFC, I’m very well aware of the guidelines and have made sure that I don’t have any objectionable content in my film. It’s a clean family entertainer. I believe there is some kind of vendetta against me that my film is being targetted while other movies are allowed to get away with much more,” he concluded.

Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; November 24, 2018)

His last release FryDay may not have fared well at the box-office but Govinda is supremely confident about his next release Rangeela Raja. Not only is it touted to be a massy entertainer, a genre the Hero No 1 actor excels in, but it also reunites him with his Aankhen (1993) producer Pahlaj Nihalani after 25 years. When we catch up with the actor at his residence, he looks upbeat and cheerful. His film is currently embroiled in a controversy with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), and the release date has gone haywire, but Govinda is unperturbed. With his innate sense of humour, he takes on the Censor chief, and simultaneously takes digs at his director. Here, the actor talks about his upcoming film, making a career out of South remakes and more...     

Rangeela Raja has been given 20 cuts by the CBFC. What is your take on it?
What happens is, when they feel something has the potential to be a hit, woh rok laga dete hai. I have seen films released in the last 10 years or for that matter even the last 30 years having much more controversial content than Rangeela Raja. I think this is a clear case of double standards. It can’t be about what you (censor) think or how it should be. You have to see what is happening in the society. I understand that if there’s a villain and the negativity in terms of language is too much, then woh maa-behen ki galiyan nahin dega. Brutal murders will not be shown. There won’t be lengthy smooching scenes. But apart from that, if he has to show he is wrong, explain how he should do it? I had told Pahlaj ji if you are taking on this subject, show the negative aspect the way it is. If the character is using abusive language, let him, as it will look contemporary. The film will get an ‘A’ certificate and at least that section of the audience will come in large numbers. But Pahlaj ji didn’t do that. He said, ‘My films are not like that, mujhe accha nahin lagta’.

Please continue...
I am amused that despite all that unka yeh haal hua (laughs). Which means being the former chairperson (of the CBFC) woh apeksha kar rahe the. He had a feeling ki mere saath aisa dhokha hoga. He was making the film with decency, but still got betrayed. Nowadays, everything is so personal. People talk and attack personally. 

What is the film about?
It is about how in every household there are some people who are colourful by nature and because of them, the family members get into a situation. It is inspired by a South movie that was made around 30-33 years ago. It was directed by K Balachander and starred Rajinikanth. I don’t remember the name, but it was a superhit film of those times. I have done so many South remakes like Raja Babu, Aankhen, Shola Aur Shabnam and Haseena Maan Jayegi. I had followed Jeetendra ji’s idea of remaking South cinema. He would buy the rights, but I would get inspired by the thought and make it in our way. They would become successful. South remakes have proved lucky for me.

The Rajinkanth-starrer is nearly three decades old, have you contemporarised it in any way?
Some thoughts don’t get old or die... like a person mistakenly thinking that whatever he is doing is right. This has been there since the time of Lord Indra, who was a colourful personality and used to trouble the Gods. He felt that since he is the Lord of Gods, he can do no wrong. In Rangeela Raja, it is something similar. When things are explained to him, he changes to some extent within the framework of his character, which I think is the novelty of the film. We are not trying to convince that everything is fine, a concept which is very today.

About your last release FryDay, you said that it wasn’t given enough theatres and that your movies are being targeted. Why do you feel that?
I said it because it’s true and I don’t want to discuss that.

What are your expectations from Rangeela Raja?
It will do great business. It is a massy entertainer and there is no hindrance to it because Pahlaj ji is a distributor himself. Reach ki problem nahin hogi. Yes, it might get delayed a bit and if they are stubborn it will get an ‘A’ rating.

Earlier in your career, some of your songs like Sarkaile Khatiya (Raja Babu) had run into trouble...
Nahin, ussmein jo thoda sa bindaas tha, ‘U’ certificate ke saath chhod diya (laughs). In fact, I was taking objection during the shoot. David (Dhawan) told me, ‘Sadhu ka chola pehenkar baahar nikal jao, film line mein nahin chalega’. So, I gave the shot and thought yeh cut jayega, par aisa nahin hua (laughs).

But there was a controversy...
Yes, people didn’t let me enjoy the success (laughs).

Don’t you think it’s time for a reinvention?
I have already done it. If you watch FryDay, you will realise it. Eighty per cent of the film is shot in a house, but despite that, it is not boring. It has been handled in a classy way. If you ask me, I think it was a masterpiece. Critics gave it three-and-a-half stars, and they are not fools.

Yet, it didn’t do well...
(Cuts in) It wasn’t allowed to do well. I don’t believe in Rs 100 crore business. It is fake, it’s a drama. If something is allowed to run (in theatres), and then it does well or not, it’s your fate. And, it’s not just with me, this has happened to several people including some big stars and they, too, have fought.

David Dhawan is remaking Hero No 1 with Varun Dhawan...
I don’t want to comment on it.

Any plans of exploring the digital platform?
Right now, I am focussing on films because I think with FryDay I have started again. At least it got released, warna pehle release ki problem hoti thi. Kitne films dabbe mein reh gayi. Next, Rangeela Raja will hit the theatres with cuts or no cuts — depends on Pahlaj ji whether he accepts or not — or how successful Prasoon Joshi ji is in having his way. I will probably do a film or a series on the digital platform mid-2019, not before that. I had an offer in 2017, but I didn’t take it up.