Censor Board Hardens Stand on ‘Thackeray’, Will Sena Relent?

Bal Thackeray’s biopic has been in controversy as the censor board has asked some scenes be removed from the film

Thackeray has been at the centre of controversy in the past.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Video Editor: Vivek Gupta

After 'Padmavat', 'Sanju' and 'Kedarnath another film is in the centre of controversy. But this time the issue is in the reverse direction. The same Shiv Sena who would support every decision of the censor board is now stuck in that same trap.

We are talking about the biography on Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray. The movie which claims to portray Bal Thackeray’s real life on the silver screen is set to release on 25 January. Nawazuddin Siddiqui plays Thackeray in the movie.

Censor Board has Objections

The censor board wanted to censor a few scenes from the movie but the Shiv Sena did not agree to it.

Sanjay Raut, a Shiv Sena leader who is the producer and scriptwriter of the movie says that the movie has been inspired by true events from Thackeray's life. So, the question of censoring it doesn't arise.

But let me tell you that this is the same Sanjay Raut and Shiv Sena who are always creating a ruckus about censoring a movie or preventing its release.

Different Trailers in Hindi & Marathi

Another interesting fact is that the Marathi and Hindi trailers have different flavours. In the Marathi trailer, Bal Thackeray has been portrayed as the proud flagbearer of the Marathis while in the Hindi trailer the focus is on nationalism.

Let me give you an example. In the Marathi trailer, Mumbai of the 80s has been portrayed as where the Shiv Sena would run campaigns against South India, namely ‘Hatao lungi aur bajao pungi.’ The Marathi trailer also focuses on Shiv Sena’s most effective campaign according to them, where they wanted Mumbai’s theatres to also prioritise Marathi movies alongside Hindi movies. That has also been portrayed vividly.

When it comes to the Hindi trailer, one dialogue will make the message clear. There is a scene where Bal Thackeray and Indira Gandhi are sitting together and Gandhi asks Thackeray about his role where Maharashtra is only for Marathis, to which Thackeray answers that he ends all his speeches with 'Jai Hand' and 'Jai Maharashtra'. So his stance is clear. The country comes first, then comes Maharashtra.

Watch the trailer here:

Shiv Sena vs Censor Board

The censor board felt it right to censor a few scenes. The board also has an objection to two scenes in the Marathi trailer.

• Babri vandalism
• Thackeray's statements during Shiv Sena's campaign against south Indians.

The scenes have not been removed even after the censor board asked them to. Now the question arises whether the Shiv Sena trusts an institution like the censor board or not. The same Shiv Sena which usually picks out minute points in a film to cause chaos, will they take action to keep the Thackeray scenes in question?

Film Takes a Dig at PM Modi

The Shiv Sena hasn't spared PM Modi either. There is a dialogue in the Marathi trailer which says that "a person's strength does not depend on the size of his chest but on his intelligence." You get the hint.

This means that the Shiv Sena which is always attacking the BJP in Parliament, on the road and on social media has now attacked the BJP in the film. But a strange fact is that this dialogue in the Marathi trailer but is missing from the Hindi trailer. This indicates that they tried to strike a balance.