We have 4-5 dharmas, they should…: Javed Akhtar on ‘Pathaan’ row

TIL Desk/National/Mumbai/ Amid reports that the Central Board of Film Certification has asked the makers of Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Pathaan to make changes to the shots used in its song Besharam Rang, lyricist-writer Javed Akhtar has said filmmakers need to have “trust” in the film certification body that has the authority to decide what will and what will not make the final cut.

His comments came a day before the trailer launch of Pathaan, a high-octane spy thriller directed by Siddharth Anand. Referring to the CBFC as a “department” under the central government”, the 77-year-old industry veteran on Monday said, “It is not for me or you to decide whether the song is right or wrong. We have an agency.

“There are people from the government and a cross-section of the society watch the film and decide what will be passed and what will not be passed. “I think we should have trust in that certification, the cuts that they suggest and what they pass,” Akhtar said. According to reports, the CBFC suggested the film’s production banner Yash Raj Films to make changes to Besharam Rang and remove all the mentions of the Indian intelligence agency RAW and Prime Minister’s Office from the movie, scheduled to be released on January 25.