Filmmaker Ashim Ahluwalia's internationally acclaimed "Miss Lovely" is set to release in India with an 'A' certificate, but without major changes in the content as the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has passed the film with only four cuts.
The Censor Board originally proposed 157 cuts which have been revised over the course of one year.
"Earlier, the Censor Board objected to the foul language and sexual content in the movie. But they have been mature, fair, and kind enough to reduce it to just four blurred scenes having realised that none of the provocative content is gratuitous. There is enough steam in the gritty film to stay true to its subject and attract audiences," a source said in a statement.
Ahluwalia is happy with the development and applauds the Censor Board. "When I made 'Miss Lovely' I never expected a release in India. Most of all I didn't believe that the Censor Board would allow a film with so much adult content through. I'm happy to have been eventually proved wrong."
"The way the Board treated the film, allowing me to give them my point of view and accepting those arguments - has been amazing and very different from the Censor Board that I had imagined," he said.
"With very few changes to the adult content, they have given the film a lot of respect. I hope that this direction continues and that we will see more different adult-themed films in our cinemas," he added.
Set in the sleazy C-grade film industry in the 1980s' Mumbai, "Miss Lovely" features Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Niharika Singh, among others. It is slated for Jan 17 release.
