The trailer of Ryan Reynolds Deadpool 2 has left many wondering about one big question: How did the CBFC Chief Pahlaj Nihalani, upholder of everything sanskari in India, allow a butt shot to be shown?
The answer – it was a blurred bum.
Speaking to IANS, Nihalani explained why that particular shot was A-okay in his books. He said, “The trailer that we’ve been shown for censor approval is not a full-fledged bum shot. It’s a bum shot in a blur. The hero is changing in a telephone booth. We see his bum from outside a semi-opaque glass pane.”
However, Nihalani said he would certainly have objected if the bum had been shot in the open and not from behind a glass window. “If it was a proper bum shot we would have probably cut it. For no other reason except for the fact that it does not serve any purpose except one of distraction. Bum shots do not drive the plot forward. So unless the trailer being shown in the internet has a clear bum shot there is nothing to get hot and bothered about,” he said.
Sweeping statements like “Bum shots do not drive the plot forward” will not surprise Nihalani’s critics. Nihalani has a history of relying on such subjective generalisations while denying certification or ordering cuts, instead of citing a specific clause and subsection in the Cinematograph Act as he is required to.
Curiously enough, Nihalani had earlier cleared a butt shot of actor Ranveer Singh in Befikre, saying the shot wasn’t objectionable as Ranveer’s character was alone with his onscreen girlfriend in the scene “doing what couples do when they are alone”.
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While he does not have any grouse with the bum shot in the (anti) superhero trailer, he did give Deadpool 2 an A-certificate for graphic content. “It has lurid violent content. The superhero is shown resting his head on the torso of murdered man on the street enjoying ice cream. This is probably their idea of fun. And we are no one to approve or disapprove,” he said, in an uncharacteristically liberal vein.
The trailer will only be screened in theatres running A-rated films. Deadpool 2 is the sequel to Deadpool (2016) and follows a similar path in terms of gratuitous violence and content. The trailer was released last month, and much to fans’ delight, had the perfect amount of snark and violence that the anti-hero is known for. Deadpool 2 is slated for an early 2018 release.
Watch the official trailer here:
Feature Image: Mid-Day/MTV.UK