Akshay Kumar's Jolly LLB 2 will be released after deleting scenes that allegedly make fun of lawyers
New Delhi:
"Jolly LLB 2", which stars Akshay Kumar, will be released this week after deleting scenes that allegedly poke fun at lawyers, the film's producers said today.
India's Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had cleared the comedy-drama but the Bombay High Court intervened, demanding that four scenes be dropped.
After asking the Supreme Court to over-rule that decision, the film's producer, Fox Studios, today changed its mind and said it will accept the edits ordered by the High Court.
The case is an unusual twist on censorship in the country, where courts have instructed India's censorship board to reinstate scenes that it has deleted -- not the other way round.
"We had no objection with the film and gave it a certificate. It's a movie for entertainment and is fiction," Censor Board chairman Pahlaj Nihalani said.
"Jolly LLB 2" tells the story of an awkward lawyer played by Mr Kumar, who takes on a high-profile case in a satirical look at the legal system.
Advocate Ajay Kumar Waghmare filed a petition claiming that certain shots mocked lawyers. He called for them to be cut and for "LLB" (a legal degree) to be dropped from the movie's title.
Mumbai's top court agreed with the petition and ruled that the film, due for release on Friday, could only be screened if four cuts were made.
Newspapers said these included one showing a scared judge hiding behind a chair and another in which Mr Kumar's character is seen jumping on a dais as he instructs his client to throw a shoe at the judge.
The movie also apparently shows lawyers playing cards and dancing in court, according to The Hindu newspaper.
The Bombay High Court's stance is a far cry from its ruling of June last year when it overturned 12 cuts that the CBFC had made to "Udta Punjab", a film depicting drug addiction. It told the film board not to be "over-sensitive".
India's Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had cleared the comedy-drama but the Bombay High Court intervened, demanding that four scenes be dropped.
After asking the Supreme Court to over-rule that decision, the film's producer, Fox Studios, today changed its mind and said it will accept the edits ordered by the High Court.
The case is an unusual twist on censorship in the country, where courts have instructed India's censorship board to reinstate scenes that it has deleted -- not the other way round.
"We had no objection with the film and gave it a certificate. It's a movie for entertainment and is fiction," Censor Board chairman Pahlaj Nihalani said.
"Jolly LLB 2" tells the story of an awkward lawyer played by Mr Kumar, who takes on a high-profile case in a satirical look at the legal system.
Advocate Ajay Kumar Waghmare filed a petition claiming that certain shots mocked lawyers. He called for them to be cut and for "LLB" (a legal degree) to be dropped from the movie's title.
Mumbai's top court agreed with the petition and ruled that the film, due for release on Friday, could only be screened if four cuts were made.
Newspapers said these included one showing a scared judge hiding behind a chair and another in which Mr Kumar's character is seen jumping on a dais as he instructs his client to throw a shoe at the judge.
The movie also apparently shows lawyers playing cards and dancing in court, according to The Hindu newspaper.
The Bombay High Court's stance is a far cry from its ruling of June last year when it overturned 12 cuts that the CBFC had made to "Udta Punjab", a film depicting drug addiction. It told the film board not to be "over-sensitive".
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