Abhijit Panse’s Bal Thackeray biopic, starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui as the founder of the Shiv Sena, was released on January 25. Thackeray traces the politician’s life between the 1960s and ’90s and offers a partisan view of his involvement in the key events that shaped Mumbai and Maharashtra.
The movie was produced by Shiv Sena Member of Parliament Sanjay Raut and released in Marathi and Hindi. Among the changes carried out by the Central Board of Film Certification in the Hindi version are alterations in lines of dialogue that attack the South Indian community in Mumbai.
Among the alterations:
“Inserted disclaimer with Hindi v/o about certain elements in the film being fictionalised for cinematic adaptation, filmmakers not intending to hurt or defame anybody, and also not intending to support violence or violent philosophy in any manner.”
“Replaced gandu with zandu.”
“Reduced to flash the close visual of man hitting the dome...replaced by judge stroking hammer.”
