72 Hoorain Controversy: Ashoke Pandit Slams CBFC & Prasoon Joshi For Rejecting Trailer, Says 'We'll Rip Them Off'

Filmmaker and Indian Film and Television Directors’ Association (IFTDA) chief has lashed out at Censor Board for rejecting the trailer of 72 Hoorain, which he is co-producing. On June 27, Pandit said that the Board refused to give a certificate to the trailer of the movie set for release on July 7. Directed by Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan, the film stars Pavan Malhotra and Aamir Bashir in the lead and focuses on the consequences of violent extremism.

Upset with the decision, Pandit said there's 'something wrong' with the CBFC. In an interview with ETimes, he also slammed the Chairperson of CBFC.

Ashoke Pandit slams CBFC, Prasoon Joshi

"We're going to rip off the censor board tomorrow. Who are these people sitting there? It's a very serious matter. All the authorities of the censor board are answerable to this decision of rejecting the certificate to the trailer of a National Award winning film. The film also won an award at the Indian Panorama section at IFFI. How can you reject the censor certificate to that film? There's something wrong in the censor board and Prasoon Joshi is answerable. There are some black sheeps in the censor board."

He added, "We have shown the feet of a dead body which CBFC has asked to remove. A reference to the Qur'an has been asked to be removed. There's something else regarding animal welfare too, but that's not important. You have issued a censor certificate to the film. The trailer consists of the same visuals. So, how can you reject the trailer?"

Earlier, in a video message, Pandit also appealed to Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur and Prasoon Joshi to pull up the people in the censor body who are trying "to snatch away our creative independence and freedom of expression".

72 Hoorain had its premiere under the Indian Panorama section at the 2019 International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, where it received the ICFT-UNESCO GANDHI MEDAL Special Mention. In 2021, Chauhan won the National Film Award for best direction for the film.

Earlier this month, prominent religious and political leaders in Kashmir decried the negative portrayal of Muslims in 72 Hoorain, saying the movie "hurts the sentiments" of the community.