Remember the 2010 film Gandu directed by Q (Qaushiq Mukherjee) that never hit the marquee in India? The Censor Board found it too sexually charged and halted the film's release. However, a similar independent film has managed to bag just an 'A' certificate and is all set to release by the end of May later this year.
BA Pass, arguably India's first erotic drama with explicit content, went through the Censors without a single cut. Directed by Ajay Bahl, it evaded axe despite strong sexual overtures. No wonder the director himself is pleasantly astonished.
`This one came as a surprise especially because there is huge built up around censorship in our country. They are viewed as moral police and I was extremely apprehensive about the entire process as such films can be easy targets. Besides, a single cut on my film would mean a blow to the overall flow,` sighs Bahl.
In 2012, the indie film has done the rounds at festival circuits across the world and even won the Best Film Award at Osian's Cinefan Film Festival. Starring Shilpa Shukla, Rajesh Sharma and Dibyendu Bhattacharya, the film's screentime is 95 minutes and about 22 minutes is spent on lovemaking scenes!
The visibly relieved debutant filmmaker adds, `Like most directors, I too felt that there was no room for editing left in my film. We waited outside the Censor Board office while the show was on. And when we were called in, I was quite tense but it all eased out when they declared a no-cut. I was expecting the adult certification which is justified.`
