SS Rajamouli’s magnum opus Baahubali 2 that has already smashed almost all Box Office records and continues its winning streak worldwide, has found a few takers in Singapore. The reason? Well, the film has been granted ‘NC16’ certification by the Singapore censor board, which means the film can’t be watched by anyone under the age of 16.
While speaking to media, Pahlaj Nihalani, chairperson, Central Board of Film Certification said, “We granted Baahubali 2: The Conclusion a ‘UA’ with virtually no cuts. In Singapore, they found Baahubali too violent. The war scenes, specially of soldiers being beheaded, were taken to be excessively gruesome by their censor board. In many countries of Asia and Europe more Bollywood films get ‘A’ certificate than we do in India.”
As the report suggests, the difference in opinion is an offshoot of cultural and practical reasons.
“Our mythology and religious scriptures have a lot of violent images of rakshasas being beheaded, etc. So, our children grow up hearing these tales of violence. They are not scared by mythological mayhem. Also, in India censorship is about pacifying sentiments rather than doing the right things. If we cut one shot of a beheading we are branded anti-religious. If we shorten the duration of a kiss we are prudes. And if we delete a shot of boy masturbating another boy (in Moonlight) we are branded homophobic,” he added.
Directed by Rajamouli and produced by Shobu Yarlagadda and Prasad Devineni, the much-awaited sequel to Baahubali: The Beginning was released worldwide on April 28.
