Many of us are waiting with bated breath to see our very favourite Rani Mukerji on screen again. While most of us can continue waiting for her forthcoming release Mardaani to hit theatres, there’s bad news for all her fans who happen to be under 18. That’s because the Censor Board has given it an ‘A Certificate’. Even though Aditya Chopra had a chat with the CBFC and tried to explain that the film’s subject was such that it should be seen by children aged 12 and above, the authorities still denied the request. The present guidelines do not have a category for 12 years and above. Mardaani happens to be the first YRF film to get an A certificate.
A spokesperson from YRF says, “Mardaani is a story that needed to be told and our aim is to make this message reach everyone, including those innocent girls in the vulnerable age of 12 and above. We strongly felt that they should be allowed to watch this movie and hence, we were requesting for a ‘U/A certificate’, since the Censor Board does not have a category of 12 and above. We also told the Board that we would put ‘Not Recommended for Children below 12’ in all our publicity material and at the start of the film, to ensure that parents are sufficiently informed that children under 12 should not watch this film. However, the Censor Board explained to us that this was not legally possible so we accepted their decision of giving the film an ‘A certificate’”.
Apparently, YRF had also planned a screening for a few women who strongly felt that they would want their daughters above 12 to watch the film too. But we’re guessing there will be a change in their plans now.
Do you think the Central Board authorities took the right decision by giving an A certificate to Mardaani? Let us know by dropping a comment below.