Censor Board asks Ram Gopal Varma to delete Hanuman reference in Sarkar 3

With sources from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC aka the Censor Board) describing Sarkar 3 as “Ram Gopal Varma’s best work in years”, it seems the director’s Bollywood career might finally be resurrected. However, the Board has asked the maverick filmmaker to snip out a reference to Lord Hanuman in one of the dialogues.

Said reference appears in a dialogue where Hanuman (who burned down Lanka when Ravan ruled it) and Vibhishana (Ravan’s brother and his successor) are talked about. Says the source from the Board, “We’ve asked them to delete the mythological reference as  it doesn’t go well with the context of the crime in the film.”

As it turns out, members of the Board have been given the power to impose a blanket ban on all mythological/religious references that appear out of their original context.

CBFC chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani adds, “We’ve to be very careful about religious sentiments. We’re living in ultra-sensitive times where even a passing reference to a religious figure could trigger legal action against the filmmakers and the CBFC. At the same time, we’re very careful to not disturb the flow of the narrative in any film. We ask for no changes that affect the story.”