13 June,2011 08:51 AM IST | | Subhash K Jha
After SRK's 'Barber' now the Censor Board takes objection to 'Darzi'...
In yet another bizarre order, the Censor Board has asked the makers of Bhindi Baazaar Inc. to change the name of one of their characters called Darzi.
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What is surprising the filmmakers is that in a movie that is based on Mumbai's brutal underbelly and has pimps, prostitutes, gangsters and outcasts dictating the screen space, the board chose to amend a name rather than any other suggestive visuals and content in the film.
Gautam Sharma essays the character that was called Darzi
Says producer Karan Arora, "My film has a lot of very strong language. I had gone prepared with alternatives if the need be, or even take beeps instead of cuts. But to be asked to remove a character's name... I was surprised!"
What is in a name?
In the movie, the character played by debutant Gautam Sharma was called Darzi. The censors do not permit the mention of a community or its profession by name or insinuation in films. Remember how the makes of Billu, had to let go of the word 'Barber' form their title?
However, removing this name was easier said than done. Arora says, "The name had a context and a history, and it has been explained many times in the film.
So I had to not just alter the name but also the reason why he was called that. You see Darzi wants to be a fashion designer, which his friends in the chawl didn't understand. So they called him Darzi."
There are about six to seven scenes in the film where the character Darzi is asked about his name. Not only did the producer have to change the character's name to Tezz, but he also had to re-write and re-dub the lines explaining why he is now called Tezz. This meant an added cost of R 15 lakh for the small-budget film.
Says Arora, "We had to get 15 of the actors to dub again. It was time consuming and frustrating."
Can't fight like them
The producer says he would've fought back if he had time. "We are just a week from release. My director is not a Vishal Bhardwaj or Sudhir Mishra who can fight for every word that is altered by the CB."
