Social media is taking chief Censor Pahlaj Nihalani's decision down.
Highlights
- Chief Censor Pahlaj Nihalani thinks the film's 3D effects are 'scary'
- The U/A rating has provoked a certain amount of mockery online
- The film has internationally been given a similar PG rating
Just when you thought the Indian censors were done messing around with the movies you most want to see, the Board has gone ahead and given Disney's 2016 update of the beloved children's classic
The Jungle Book a rating of U/A. This is a rating that indicates a film contains mild violence, sensuality and/or language unsuitable for children under 12. It has provoked a certain amount of mockery online.
The reason
The Jungle Book has been officially certified off-limits for a large part of the junior audience that is hoping to watch it is because chief Censor Pahlaj Nihalani thinks it's 'scary.' "The 3D effects are so scary that the animals seem to jump right at the audience," he told
DNA.
The conclusion is that many kids won't be able to handle Shere Khan's gaping jaws coming at them or King Louie's monstrous arm reaching out. Whether or not the Censor Board's concerns about what is essentially meant to be a children's movie are justified or no - the film has internationally been given a similar PG rating and it just means that children need to be accompanied by an adult - social media is taking Pahlaj Nihalani's decision down.
Twitter is flooded with acerbic comments, possibly reminded of when the Board slashed 50% of the kissing scenes in the James Bond film
SPECTRE. Last November, bemused tweeple offered hilarious (and not to forget very sarcastic) advice to make Bond more 'sanskari' and India-friendly.
This time too, Twitter can't help but wonder if the rating is solely because the film really is 'scary' or if there are any other reasons that compelled the Board - like the animals not being clothed, maybe?
Take a look at how Twitter reacted to the U/A rating of the film below: