Bad News For Ayushmann Khurrana, Rashmika Mandanna’s Thamma, CBFC Imposes Major Cuts, Shocking Fans And Makers Alike

In what seems to be a pre-Diwali jolt to fans, Ayushmann Khurrana and Rashmika Mandanna’s highly awaited horror-comedy, Thamma, has been released by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) with a U/A certificate after a few compulsory changes.

Last-minute cutting-style certification before its festival release indicates that audiences will be watching an edited version of the film, one hurdle common but often controversial to deal with in the Indian industry.

These recommended cuts reportedly include snipping to visuals and altering audio to align with the board’s guidelines for easing the movie’s acceptance by a wider audience.

Although the entire rating of U/A-a suggestion that parental guidance is necessary for children under 12-is comforting, the actual cuts have attracted a debate among trade experts about the hurt that will be infected on the narrative flow and the makers’ vision.

Key Censor Board Directives

Reportedly, the CBFC examining committee suggested a total of six cuts-from intimate scenes and mythological references to dialogues. The most talked-about cut involves the chemistry of the lead pair on screen. 

The film’s visual modification action was mainly focused on a romantic sequence between Ayushmann Khurrana and Rashmika Mandanna. The board is said to have instructed a reduction of about 30% in the duration of the kissing scene, which translates to five seconds of footage being deleted from the final cut.

Even though it may appear to be nothing as compared to cuts made in other recent films, it is indeed a very highlighted cut in the sequence of the highly-promoted debut pairing.

Muted Mythological References

The board also demanded several other dialogue changes and audio changes. In what was perhaps the biggest decision, the name of the great mythological character, ‘Ashwathama’, was to be entirely muted from the dialogue in the film.

The English word ‘Alexander’ had to be Indianized to ‘Sikandar’. Also, ‘Azaadi doonga’ (I will give freedom) was rather infamously altered to ‘Aiyaashi karata hoon’ (I indulge in luxury).

There was an instruction to tone down the slurping sound accompanying the drinking of blood during the vampiric scenes, again reflecting the board’s attempt to sanitize the abhorrent content.

The film has been embraced in the recent Maddock Horror-Comedy Universe and is all set now for its big Diwali clash with a runtime sandwiched slightly below 2 hours and 30 minutes, having been put through these last-minute essential changes.

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