New Delhi:
The television premiere of the National Award-winning film, The Dirty Picture, has been stalled after the government demanded for 46 cuts in the film to make it suitable for airing on national television.
The controversial film, starring Vidya Balan, was scheduled to be aired at noon and 8 pm today on a private channel. But the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting asked for the telecast timing to be revised to a slot after 11 pm.
The latest move by the government comes even as the channel had secured a clearance from the Bombay High Court on Saturday for the airing of the film.
The Dirty Picture, which is reportedly based on the life of southern actress Silk Smitha, had undergone 56 cuts before being issued a U/A certification by the censor board.
The film, which also stars Naseeruddin Shah, Emraan Hashmi and Tusshar Kapoor, fetched Vidya Balan her first National Award as Best Actress.
An upset Tusshar tweeted, "Really unfortunate that after all the necessary cuts and a valid UA certificate, The Dirty Picture could not be telecast today on Sony TV.
"In light of recent events that exposed the dark side of Bollywood, The Dirty Picture was well timed as it depicts a similar harsh reality!
"Sad that inspite of being acclaimed for its entertaining realism & having won 3 National Awards the regulatory forces have stalled the show," Tusshar posted.
Noted filmmaker Karan Johar also echoed the actor's disappointment. "A national award winning film cannot have a national telecast??? this is not an irony but plain and simple hypocrisy!!!!," Johar also tweeted.
The controversial film, starring Vidya Balan, was scheduled to be aired at noon and 8 pm today on a private channel. But the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting asked for the telecast timing to be revised to a slot after 11 pm.
The latest move by the government comes even as the channel had secured a clearance from the Bombay High Court on Saturday for the airing of the film.
The Dirty Picture, which is reportedly based on the life of southern actress Silk Smitha, had undergone 56 cuts before being issued a U/A certification by the censor board.
The film, which also stars Naseeruddin Shah, Emraan Hashmi and Tusshar Kapoor, fetched Vidya Balan her first National Award as Best Actress.
An upset Tusshar tweeted, "Really unfortunate that after all the necessary cuts and a valid UA certificate, The Dirty Picture could not be telecast today on Sony TV.
"In light of recent events that exposed the dark side of Bollywood, The Dirty Picture was well timed as it depicts a similar harsh reality!
"Sad that inspite of being acclaimed for its entertaining realism & having won 3 National Awards the regulatory forces have stalled the show," Tusshar posted.
Noted filmmaker Karan Johar also echoed the actor's disappointment. "A national award winning film cannot have a national telecast??? this is not an irony but plain and simple hypocrisy!!!!," Johar also tweeted.
