No space for slander

Piyush Mishra in the film

The Central Board of Film Certification found itself as the subject of much attention in April when it stalled the India release of Dev Patel's Monkey Man. Now, in a move that may be seen by some as the Board trying to redeem itself, it has come down hard on director Vinay Mishra's next, Jahangir National University. The film's title is a blatant wordplay on the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University, while its poster reads, ‘Can one university shake the nation?' The Ravi Kishan and Piyush Mishra-starrer has been recently cleared by the CBFC with some crucial changes.

Kanhaiya Kumar and Umar Khalid

First things first, the film cannot be referred to as JNU, nor can it make references to the university. A source reveals, "All official material and dialogues that refer to either have to be tweaked. Additionally, the material or dialogues cannot name Nehru. Mentions of NDTV, journalist Ravish Kumar, politician Kanhaiya Kumar, activist Umar Khalid, and Jamia Millia Islamia University have been asked to be removed completely. The Board noted that their inclusions will be seen as defamatory and contemptuous."

A song in the June 21 release was deemed to glorify violence, and hence, instructed to be deleted. We hear the CBFC has asked for a few more changes to underline that the movie is a work of fiction. The source adds, "As per the CBFC's instructions, clips from news channels and those featuring political leaders, MPs and other dignitaries have to be removed. The film also had posters of beef festivals, which have to be withdrawn. Since the makers maintain it is a fictitious story, the Board highlighted that it shouldn't contribute to maligning institutions or people."