Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 14, 2014)

After facing stiff resistance from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), the Hollywood comedy, Sex Tape, starring Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel, has finally got the green signal. The film will release across India on October 17.

The film was to open on August 29. The publicity campaign was about to be flagged off when the Examining Committee rejected the film (Mirror, August 6). The producers then appealed to the Revising Committee. They decided not to go to the Tribunal if they got the thumbs down from the Revising Committee too.

The bone of contention was the scenes involving both male and female nudity. Now the Revising Committee has passed the film after cutting two steamy lovemaking sequences.

Explaining the edits, senior member of the Revising Committee, Nandini Sardesai said: "The CBFC is a board to certify films, not ban them. If we had to pass Sex Tape there was no other way out. We did our job to the best of our abilities. The two sex scenes-- one before the titles roll and the other before the end credits-- were uncalled for. Moreover, they were over the top."

Sardesai added that the 'A' certification is a clear indication that children shouldn't see this film. "Frankly even I was embarrassed when I was watching it. Despite the cuts, the film is still very explicit, " said Sardesai.

Sex Tape is the story of a couple whose sex life has been reduced to zero. To put the relationship back on track they decide to make a video of themselves trying out every sex position in one marathon three-hour session. But soon they discover that the video is no longer private.

Manoj Desai, owner of Gaiety-Galaxy and Maratha Mandir, says that he will screen the film in his theatres, albiet reluctantly. "There is nothing much on the anvil before Happy New Year, which opens on October 24," he reasoned.

Anand Vishal, Head of Operations, Fun Cinemas, added: "We will have to make sure that kids below 18 years are not allowed into the theatres."

Bharati Dubey (MID-DAY; August 26, 2014)

The revising committee of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has finally cleared Cameron Diaz- starrer Sex Tape, giving it an 'A' certificate. The committee, headed by Nandini Sardesai, has asked the film’s distributors to cut around 10 minutes’ footage from the film.

“Several scenes shown before the title of the film feature frontal nudity and blatant sexual intercourse which was definitely not beautiful; we have asked distributors to cut them out,” says Nandini Sardesai.

It may be recalled here that the film, that released in the USA in July, was supposed to release in India in the first week of August. But last month, the examining committee of the CBFC denied the film a certificate due to its adult content. The distributors of the film then demanded that a revising committee watch the film and decide on its certification.

Nandini says, “The distributors were armed with a proper self-censorship sheet and they even offered to cut more scenes if needed. We have already pointed out the deletions and they have agreed to carry them out.”

Pitched as a comedy, Sex Tape tells the story of a couple that has a lot of sex before marriage but cuts down on it after they have kids.

Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 6, 2014)

Sex Tape, the Hollywood comedy starring Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel, may not see the light of day in India.

The Examining Committee of the Censor Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has rejected the film. The producers of the film have appealed to the Revising Committee, but buzz is, the film is unlikely to get the nod.

"The Examining Committee was shocked when they saw the film last week," said a source close to the development. "It was clear in the first 30 minutes itself that Sex Tape will face the axe," added the source.

Explaining the bone of contention, the source said: "There is male and female nudity with visible posteriors. How on earth can the CBFC certify it?"

Kersei Daruwala, the MD of the company releasing the film in India, maintained the "No comments" stance but a source from the production house told Mirror, "We will not go to the Tribunal if the Revising Committee rejects it too, since Sex Tape is not a culturally sensitive film. It does not have any social message either."

The studio has slotted theatrical shows from August 29 and was about to flag off their publicity campaign.

Speaking about the film's fate Anand Vishal, Head of Operations, Fun Cinemas, said: "We faced a similar situation during the release of the Brad Pitt starrer Fight Club and Penelope Cruz's The Counselor. India is not America. What is acceptable in the US need not be acceptable here."

Vishal however admitted that there is a market for adult films. "But if we do release Sex Tape, we will have to make sure that kids below the age of 18 do not get into the theatres,"he added.

However, Manoj Desai, owner of Gaiety-Galaxy, Maratha Mandir, was vocal in his reservations, "I don't know how many shows can I give to a film like Sex Tape."

MEANWHILE...

Not for public viewing

The talking standee of Aamir Khan's PK avatar, which depicts the actor nude, with a radio covering his modesty, had to be removed from the Gaiety-Galaxy theatres, after a group of women approached the police with a complaint on Monday.

The group maintained that the "obscene image" should not be displayed in public. The theatre's owner Manoj Desai confirmed this, saying, "A policeman told me that I need to remove the standee. I didn't want the situation to get out of hand and obliged. I don't understand why a star like Aamir resorted to such publicity."

This is the latest in the slew of complaints against Rajkumar Hirani's upcoming film. "Such objections are bound to be raised. I noticed that most women turn their eyes away when faced with the poster," said Desai. 

Bharati Dubey (MID-DAY; July 24, 2014)

The Censor Board has denied certification to Sony Pictures’ film, Sex Tape, starring Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel. The film was slated to release later this month.

A source from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) says, “Owing to excess vulgarity in the film, we have decided to not certify the film.” Sony Pictures confirmed the news but refused to comment on it.

Interestingly, it has been said that the censor board tends to be lenient towards Hollywood films. But a former member of the board says, “ Hollywood films are usually viewed as ‘more corruptible’ than Hindi films and they get rejected for their overt sexual content and brutal violence. But in the case of Hindi films, producers get away with a lot more. Also, Hollywood films that have sexually provocative themes or titles tend to bear the brunt. It is a knee-jerk reaction and is not the right way to certify films. Why shouldn’t an adult film be cleared with an 'A' certificate? Aren’t 18-year-olds mature enough to watch films with sexual or violent content?”

Some of the Hollywood films that have faced problems with the censor board are The Da Vinci Code, Straw Dogs and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.