Kajol’s upcoming film `Maa` has become a rare horror film to receive a U/A certificate from the CBFC, with no cuts demanded — an unexpected move for a genre usually marked by A certifications due to graphic content.
No cuts for Maa
Ahead of its theatrical release, the CBFC’s approval of Maa has come as a sweet surprise, especially considering recent controversies involving bizarre or excessive cuts. Many expected the board to go heavy on edits for a horror film.
According to a report in Bollywood Hungama, Maa was passed without any audio or visual cuts, which is quite rare. Even Aamir Khan’s clean family drama Sitaare Zameen Par had to undergo several changes demanded by the CBFC before its release.
Maa gets UA certificate
Quoting a source, the entertainment portal reported, “With CBFC, one can never know. In Sitaare Zameen Par, the members asked for Michael Jackson to be replaced by ‘lovebirds’, and ‘Business Woman’ was changed to ‘Business Person’. That, and the insistence on adding a quote from the Prime Minister, led to a storm. Hence, the fear was that when a clean film like Sitaare Zameen Par gets such cuts, what would happen to Maa, which is a horror flick?”
The source further added, “However, the CBFC’s Examining Committee didn’t cut a single shot, though a few scenes are disturbing. And that’s not all — they also allowed the film to have a U/A 16+ rating, which means the under-18 crowd can view the film.”
The only other Hindi film in recent times to not receive an A certificate in the horror genre is Ajay Devgn and R Madhavan`s `Shaitaan`. Notably, Maa is an extension of the Shaitaan universe and is backed by Devgn Films and Jio Studios. Apart from horror comedies, the genre usually sees A rated films.
Additional CBFC guidelines for Maa:
Runtime- 2 hours 15 minutes and 35 seconds
The CBFC asked the makers to increase the disclaimer length for readability.
The film had to include details about anti-girl child practices and human sacrifice as part of the disclaimer.
As per rules in force since 2021, the Hindi title of the film was also required to be displayed.
