Mumbai: The India Story makers contend that the delays in the certification by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) led to significant financial losses and disrupted the film’s multi-language release.
As part of an exclusive interview with News9 Digital, Chettan DK said the delay in getting the censor certificate resulted in losses of ₹10-15 crore and affected the film's release strategy across languages.
Certification Delays
According to Chettan DK, The India Story, starring Shreyas Talpade and Kajal Aggarwal, was submitted to the CBFC on June 2 for certification.
But he claimed that the film's first screening before the certification board took place only on June 17, leading to a delay in the review process.
The filmmaker also explained that the Hindi censor certificate was issued late on the night of July 22, just hours before the movie's scheduled theatrical release.
He said the delay left the production team with very little time to complete distribution and promotional preparations.
Multi-Language Release Affected
Chettan DK said that the certification delay disrupted the makers’ plans to release The India Story simultaneously in multiple languages.
He said distributors and exhibitors had difficulty with scheduling because certification was completed close to the release date, and the film was limited in reach during its opening weekend.
He claimed that this led to financial losses estimated at ₹10-15 crore, but these figures have not been independently verified.
25 Cuts Ordered by the CBFC
The filmmaker also discovered that the CBFC directed the makers to implement 25 cuts and modifications before granting certification.
Chettan DK was disappointed in the extent of the changes, but said the production team complied with the certification requirements to make sure the film was released.
Specific details for each of the modifications have not been officially disclosed.
Makers Voice Concerns
And Chettan DK said the delays caused uncertainty for producers, distributors and exhibitors who had invested in the project.
He said that long certification timelines can significantly impact marketing campaigns, theatre bookings and audience turnout for films in the pipeline for nationwide release.
The filmmaker suggested a more streamlined certification process to avoid such situations in the future.
Official Position
At the time of publication, the CBFC had not publicly responded to Chettan DK's claims regarding the certification timeline or the claimed financial loss.
The losses and concerns that are reported in this article are the filmmaker's claims made during an interview and have not been independently verified.
About the Film
The India Story has Shreyas Talpade and Kajal Aggarwal in leading roles and has attracted attention for the subject matter and the controversy around its certification.
Even with all those obstacles the filmmakers have described, the movie is now in theatres and audiences and industry observers are tracking the box office performance.
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