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BERLIN (Reuters) - An uncensored version of a Chinese film was screened at the Berlin film festival on Friday, its producer said, and the director told reporters she hoped she did not live to regret making the controversial picture.
Feb 21, 2014 - Has an “uncensored” version of a familiar entertainment ever scandalized you. While most of the movie censorship of my childhood involved. TOP 5 Hollywood Banned Movies By The Censor Board You Can't Believe Putting a lot of money, efforts, time and what not and what if your film is banned by cen.
Chinese director Li Yu poses during a photocall to present the film 'Lost In Beijing' running in competition at the 57th Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin February 16, 2007. The festival runs from February 8-18. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke
“Lost in Beijing” is in competition in Berlin, and has been at the center of lengthy negotiations between its makers and Chinese state censors who had objections to some of the content including scenes involving sex and gambling.
Producer Fang Li said that a compromise was finally agreed between the two sides, but there was insufficient time for the “Lost in Beijing” team to get two versions ready for Berlin — one with English, and one with German subtitles.
“This is to confirm that we are only able to provide Berlinale with the original market version (uncensored) of ‘Ping Guo’ (‘Lost in Beijing’),” Fang told the festival in an e-mail, which the Berlinale forwarded to Reuters.
“We failed to finish the production work making both English and German subtitled prints for your festival, because we did not have enough time after the censor approval from China.”
Fang was the producer of another film, “Summer Palace,” shown at Cannes film festival last year without official approval, resulting in its director Lou Ye getting a five-year ban from making movies.
Li Yu, director of “Lost in Beijing,” was asked what repercussions there would be from the Berlin screening.
“I don’t know as I haven’t gone back to China yet,” she told reporters following a press screening. “What I hope is I won’t have any cause to regret making this film,” she added through an interpreter. “Perhaps it may be difficult when I go back.”
“If you are a director in China, you need to come to terms with this problem, otherwise you don’t make films at all.”
PROBLEM OF AGE, NOT POLITICS
Fang said he believed the problem had more to do with age than politics.
“Often it is very old people who make decisions, and it is mainly a conflict of generations,” he said.
The main objections from Chinese authorities were sex, gambling, scenes where an older woman has a relationship with a younger man and also how the behavior of the four main characters reflects on Chinese society, Fang explained.
In the movie, much of it shot with hand-held camera to portray the bustle of Beijing, Ping Guo has a child but there is confusion over who the father is.
Her husband seeks to sell the baby to a wealthy club owner who believes it is his, but the arising complications sorely test relations both between Ping Guo and her husband and the club owner and his wife.
The film examines modern sexuality and how a booming economy produces as many losers as winners.
“Business is developing extremely fast in China which is a good thing, but sometimes people can’t always keep pace and that’s why psychological problems arise,” said Li.
Echoing the opinion of other Chinese film makers in Berlin this year, she added that part of the problem was there was no ratings system, only a decision to allow a film or not.
Fang sought to take on the responsibility for screening the uncut version.
“I have decided which version would be screened today,” he said. “It’s got nothing to do with the director.”
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It was reported that Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone, would have a long and steamy kissing scene in their upcoming film Tamasha. However, the kissing scenes and a few one-liners from the movie has given the Censor Board, jitters.
The sad news is, unfortunately, the kissing scene between Ranbir and Deepika from Tamasha has been deleted. Yes, the Censor Board has given Imtiaz Ali's Tamasha a U/A certificate and has ordered five scene cuts.
The scene cuts in Tamasha include the kissing scenes, adult themed one-liners and a few dialogues. The one-liners are tongue in cheek humour such as 'Apna Haath Jagannath!' and 'Din mein sister raat mein bistar' and a few more witty dialogues would be chopped off.
A source close to the movie was quoted as saying,
'They were fun lines - the way young people talk when in a group. At one point, a character makes a veiled reference to masturbation, which the censor board did not want. Din mein sister raat mein bistar - is one of the dialogues that did not receive a nod from the board. The CBFC said they were shocked at these innuendos in an Imtiaz Ali film. But we suggested that the board members listen to how the young speak in real life!'
An insider reveals, that the lip-lock scene between Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone in Tamasha, was even longer and much more intense, than that of Aamir Khan and Karishma Kapoor in the movie Raja Hindustani.
The kissing sequence comes at a crucial point in Tamasha and Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone did the sequence like thorough professionals. However, the scene was too shocking for the Censor Board and would no longer be shown in the movie.
Imtiaz Ali's Tamasha, is all set to hit the theatres with five censor cuts on November 27, 2015.
Kissing Scene
A hot and steamy kissing scene between Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone in Tamasha has been chopped off by the Censor Board as it's too long and intense.
Tamasha
Censor Board, apart from the kissing scene between Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone, has also chopped off few witty one-liners and dialogues.
Deepika-Ranbir
The kissing scene in Tamasha comes at a very crucial point and the actors did the sequence like thorough professionals. Unfortunately, the lip-lock scene has been deleted by the Censor Board.
Witty One-liners
Tamasha scene cuts include kissing scenes, adult themed one-liners and dialogues. The one-liners are 'Apna Haath Jagannath!' and 'Din mein sister raat mein bistar'.
Source Quoted
'They were fun lines - the way young people talk when in a group. At one point, a character makes a veiled reference to masturbation, which the censor board did not want. Din mein sister raat mein bistar - is one of the dialogues that did not receive a nod from the board. The CBFC said they were shocked at these innuendos in an Imtiaz Ali film. But we suggested that the board members listen to how the young speak in real life!' says a source.
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An insider reveals, that the kissing scene between Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone in Tamasha, was longer and intense, than that of Raja Hindustani.
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Sad News
The sad news is, unfortunately, the kissing scene between Ranbir and Deepika from Tamasha has been deleted. Yes, the Censor Board has given Imtiaz Ali's Tamasha a U/A certificate and has ordered five scene cuts.
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