If Bimal Roy or Sanjay Leela Bhansali were to make Devdas today, they would find it impossible to do so. A constantly-drunk hero like Dilip Kumar or Shah Rukh Khan or Amitabh Bachchan in Sharaabi is soon going to be a thing of the past.
A new ban order by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) puts an end to all liquor consumption, especially by leading men.
Recently, in Munna Michael Nawazuddin Siddiqui was not allowed to be shown drinking, although he played a gangster. Not only that, any liquor bottle on display in the frames has to be blurred.
Says the CBFC chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani, “Merely putting a ticker warning at some remote corner of the screen whenever there is smoking or drinking shown, is not enough anymore. We feel the superstars who are followed by millions and who set an example in societal behaviour must not be shown drinking or smoking on screen unless the provocation for doing so is extreme.”
Wonder what could the provocation for tobacco use and alcohol be? Perhaps, alcohol-related images would be allowed in a film about Prohibition like Rahul Dholakia’s Raees?
“A movie where alcohol is essential would have to go with an Adult certificate,” says the CBFC chief.
