The government Thursday announced that the controversial film "The Da Vinci Code" would be cleared by the censor board with a disclaimer as well as an adult certification for screening in India.

Announcing this, Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi said that the producers of the movie have agreed to the proposal by Christian leaders of displaying a clearly visible disclaimer saying: "This movie is a work of pure fiction and does not have any intention to hurt the sentiments."

After a special screening held Wednesday and discussion with Christian leaders in India, the government conveyed its message to the Central Board of Film Certification and it has also agreed to consider issuing an "A" certificate for the movie, Dasmunshi said.

"It may be delayed just for a day or two," he told reporters.

Earlier Donald Desouza, secretary general of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, said representatives of various Christian organisations met Dasmunshi Thursday morning to formulate a joint response sought by the minister.

"We want a disclaimer which should be displayed for enough time on the screen so that people watching the movie should understand that it is a work of pure fiction and has no resemblance to any historical event," he said.

"The film should be given an 'A' certificate as the children may not be able to differentiate fact from fiction."

Said John Dayal, president of the All India Catholic Union: "The storyline of the film is anti-Christian and some parts of the film are singularly obnoxious.

"The censor board should take suo motu action in the case of this film instead of shifting the burden to Christian leaders."