"Deadpool" hit the theatres across India on Friday, Feb. 12, 2016, and considering the time of the release, fans got to see the potty-mouth super-hero make funny Valentine's Day references in trailers and advertisements leading to the release date. However, if you are in India and hoping to the see the movie in theatres, don't expect to be as entertained by the feature-length version of these teasers.
The V-Day poster urged all the singles out there to have a "perfect Valentine's Day" accompanying the "Merc with a Mouth" on his deadly, unnecessary and weird mission. However, given that the Indian censor board is notorious for chopping off all the "good" stuff, V-Day might not be all that great for those singles looking for the promised funny evening with Pool.
As fans know, the Central Board of Film Certification even chopped the trailer heavily, replacing all the quirky and risqué dialogues, for which Deadpool is known, with alternatives that aren't nearly as funny. Anyone heading to the theatres should also be aware that many pivotal scenes are missing from the movie — especially the violent and gory ones, which are again a trademark of Deadpool.
Defending these edits, censor chief Pahlaj Nihalani told DNA: "We have made very general cuts. If you look at what has happened to 'Deadpool' in China, it was apparently banned because any number of cuts was seen to hamper the storyline of the film. I can assure you the cuts we've requested in no way affect the storytelling."
A similar fate was suffered by the latest James Bond movie titled "Spectre", with the censor board removing a minor kissing scene. These "general cuts" remain a mystery to many Hollywood fans, especially when the same censor board conviniently passes movies like "Mastizaade" and "Kya Kool Hain Hum 3".
Even though the movie still has a lot of story and action sequences, cutting down on all the elements for which this Marvel anti-hero is known invalidates the whole purpose of watching "Deadpool" in theatres.
There is a reason why Deadpool is Deadpool and not Batman or Superman: He doesn't follow rules; he does what he does just for fun. Given the tragic past his alter ego Wade Wilson went through, he can't be blamed for his wicked sense of humour and stone-cold heart.
Besides, the movie has already been rated "R" in the US, and should have ideally been rated "A" in India. It makes no sense to modify it for "unrestricted public exhibition" (Certification: U/A) because it was always meant for a specific audience that wants to watch such movies in their gory glory.
Pool is known for breaking the fourth wall, and if he ever got to know the extent to which his movie had been "sanitised", he would have faced the camera and given a piece of his mind to the Indian censor board.
