The title of Kangana Ranaut and Rajkummar Rao's next outing 'Mental Hai Kya' has been changed to 'Judgementall Hai Kya'.
After various delays and restrictions, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) finally cleared the upcoming film with minor cuts. The only condition was to remove the word 'mental' from the entire film, including the title. The movie's makers complied and came up with a new title -- 'Judgementall Hai Kya'
The upcoming thriller has been at the receiving end for a while with many people calling the title derogatory and insensitive to those battling mental health issues.
The makers also released an official statement, in which they announced the new title of the film.
"Given the sensitivity attached to the issue of mental health and our intention of not offending or hurting anyone's sentiments, the makers have decided to change the title of the film 'Mental Hai Kya' to 'Judgementall Hai Kya'," the statement read.
According to the statement, the CBFC had raised minor objections to the film while giving it a U/A certificate and the producers have complied with them.
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"Both Kangana and Rajkummar have outdone themselves in this thriller and we can't wait for audiences to witness it on the big screen. CBFC has cleared the film with U/A certification with minor changes, which the makers are happy to comply with. With the CBFC clearance, the film is all set to release on July 26," the statement added.
Kangana too commented on the title change and said, "We had a trailer launch scheduled for last week. The trailer went for certification a few days before that and we got to know that there are several cases and legal notices from All India Psychiatry department. We are happy to get the changes made because it's a government body and it needs to be respected."
Kangana also noted that they made this film "very responsibly" and there is "nothing derogatory" about it.
"They absolutely loved the film and there were no cuts in the film. The only thing they asked for was to never use the word 'mental'. Since last year there are a few specific words that the Board has deemed problematic. Words like Pagla, Paagal must be avoided. Now, it's different from what it was earlier. We have made this film very responsibly and there's nothing derogatory about it," she added.
"Even the Censor Board watched the whole film and felt the same. The problem was only the title and it's just a few weeks before the release. We had to figure a new title, get it registered and then get a certificate. So this was a long procedure. It took a week to ten days so the only thing we feel bad about is the delay it has caused. We couldn't release any unit because of this," the 'Queen' actor concluded.
Kangana added that initially four titles were being considered for the film.
"My character's name is Bobby Grewal Batliwala so we thought of calling the film by my character name. Then, there was one called Bobby Mental Hai Kya. The title should also give out the nature of the film. We had a few other suggestions like Sentimental Hai Kya which came up. Then, Judgementall Hai Kya happened and even the Censor was happy with it," Kangana said of the several titles being considered.
Earlier, the makers had denied that the movie discriminates against people battling mental health issues and added that it encourages the audience to embrace their individuality. Producer Ekta Kapoor had recently defended the film's title on Twitter, stating "it doesn't intend to offend or disregard anyone's sentiments."
Directed by Prakash Kovelamudi, the film also features Amyra Dastur and Jimmy Shergill in pivotal roles and is all set to hit the theatres on July 26 this year.