CBFC clears Padmavati with U/A certificate and new title

Mumbai: In a sigh of relief for filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has cleared his magnum opus 'Padmavati' for release with a 'U/A' certificate, but has asked to change the title of the movie to 'Padmavat'.

CBFC examining committee held a meeting on December 28, and finally decided to change the film's title and make some more modifications due to attributed material/creative source.

Other key changes in the movie are of the disclaimers, one of which is regarding not glorifying the practice of Sati. The committee has also asked the filmmakers to make some relevant changes to the song 'Ghoomar' to befit the character portrayed.

The board also asked to make 26 cuts in the film apart from the change in the title and has said that the certificate will only be issued after the suggested cuts and modifications are done.

The meeting was joined by regular examining committee members along with CBFC officials and a special advisory panel in presence of Chairman Prasoon Joshi.

Also Read: Censor Board invites Jaipur historians to view ‘Padmavati’

Considering the intense protests against the script of the movie, CBFC had included Arvind Singh from Udaipur, Dr. Chandramani Singh and Prof KK Singh of the Jaipur University as the special committee members to finalise the movie.

Earlier, Bhansali had appealed CBFC to invite a panel of historians/academicians and members of the Rajput community to watch the movie.

The filmmakers submitted the final 3D application of the movie on December 28.

An official statement from the film's production house Viacom18 and filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali is still awaited.

The film stars Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor in pivotal characters and was earlier scheduled to hit theatres on December 1.