Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmavati has been certified, and “All known versions of this work passed uncut.”
Not in India, however, but in the United Kingdom.
The British Board of Film Classification has cleared the Deepika Padukone-Ranveer Singh starrer for a 12A audience (12 years and above, to be accompanied by an adult). The classification was probably applied for before producers Bhansali Productions and Viacom18 Motion Pictures decided to postpone the release after numerous protests from right-wing groups, threats of beheading and immolation, and the local censor board’s delay in certifying the movie.
The BBFC summary notes that Padmavati is a “Hindi language epic drama in which a Sultan leads an invasion to capture a Rajput Queen”, is 164 minutes long and has “moderate violence, injury detail”.
The situation is vastly different in India, where Padmavati’s release has been postponed since it has not yet been cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification. The Indian censor board sent back the movie’s application for certification in anticipation of its December 1 release on the ground that it was “incomplete”. The delay in certification, coupled with rising protests against the film, which include threats of beheading and immolation against Bhansali and Padukone, have led to Padmavati being indefinitely pushed. There is no news yet on when the film will be released in India or in the United Kingdom, for that matter.
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