The Scissors Strike Again
India was eager for a weekend of movie blockbusters. The pre-bookings were soaring across the nation. And then just like that, the censor board approval details were leaked online, changing the narrative from hypetrain to endless taunts on social media.
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The Central Board of Film Certification, more commonly known as CBFC, deemed that the newest Spider-Man film had to be edited to pass through the Indian theaters on July 30.
While Spider-Man: Brand New Day was granted U/A 13+ certification, this only came after conditions were applied. The certificate issued on July 23 indicates the board suggested cuts of two separate kissing scenes. Cumulatively, they amounted to exactly eight seconds of screen time that were immediately removed from the Indian print. Furthermore, three instances of “obscene” English expletives were deleted from both the audio track and subtitles as requested by the concerned authorities.
One utterance was removed from the first half; two from the second.
The final length approved after censorship is 144 minutes and 52 seconds. For the fans eagerly anticipating Tom Holland’s comeback after years since the Spider-Man: No Way Home, the two deleted kissing scenes of 8 seconds was a goldmine for internet mockery.
Social Media Creates a Sanskari Peter Parker
Hours after the censoring information surfaced on the entertainment headlines, X and Reddit were transformed into open-air comedy clubs. For the moment, it appeared, Indian fans are more bewildered than angered by this incident. The tag ‘Sanskari Spider-Man’ began to circulate widely across timelines.
Several edited images of Peter Parker in Indian attire surfaced.
One particularly notable picture featured Peter Parker holding a pooja thali instead of shooting spider webs in between skyscrapers. Another user cheekily inquired if Peter and MJ would merely salute each other with a namaste from a distance – a customary joke whenever these censor board mishaps occur. The internet loves to poke fun at the bizarre logic behind Indian censorship. One can witness and accept a villain murdering his own family by striking their heads on the ground using an iron rod, but an eight-second consensual kiss shared between two characters, deemed to save the morals and purity of our young audience, simply doesn’t fly.
A user thanked the censor board for shielding India from such western acts of affection.
Another tweeted out that maybe love is anti-national now.
The Double Standard Debate
Once the initial phase of amusement died down, an age-old resentment began to surface in the comments section of every platform. Viewers are weary of what they interpret as a clear double standard. Comparisons have been drawn where domestic films are permitted to depict unwanted sexual advances, groping, and overtly sexualized dance routines without much intervention or with a ‘U’ or ‘A’ certificate.
Yet, for this Hollywood blockbuster featuring an 8-second kiss between two consensual partners, The Scissors were employed.
It appears illogical to everyday ticket-goers. These complaints aren’t exactly new either as just last year, the DC fans had a similar outrage at the film Superman which also encountered significant cuts. International films, even those carrying an R-rating, seem to have all their intimate portions censored and modified by Indian authorities to fit some peculiar moral standard which doesn’t comply with their Western counterparts and the international film scene. It’s a point of mystery what the specific rules are which dictate the thought process of each reviewer in the screening rooms.
What Censor Certificates actually state
Looking at the certification certificate which appears as a simple document in reality: Sony Pictures submitted the 3D English version for screening in July and received the final certificate in the latter half of the same month after certain modifications were suggested by the board. All imports undergoing large public releases in India have always complied with such suggestions; it is easier to adapt the changes according to that certification than challenge it through a long judicial process with the whole film world eagerly awaiting the releases. It’s a tough job for studios worldwide to hold on to strict release dates as they are crucial for the global revenue and for a film like Spider-Man, eight seconds of a kiss won’t really impact its commercial run, as confirmed by the hundreds of thousands of tickets sold within minutes across multiplexes like PVR Inox and Cinepolis.
Industry sources predict the film will gross anywhere from 50 crore rupees by the time of its opening Thursday.
The hype for the return of Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Jacob Batalon is much bigger than muted swear words and a quick kiss.
A Buzz That Cannot Be Edited
Despite the deletions, the release will still take place. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, who helmed the previous Marvel cinematic universe installment Spider-Man: Far From Home, this is only the fourth film centered around the titular superhero. In the movie Peter Parker is older now as he protects New York City while being confronted by super-villains like Scorpion and Tombstone and this part of the Marvel franchise would ensure that dedicated fans wouldn’t miss it for anything, including this trivial editing that has the entire country divided and amused.
Multiplexes across cities have scheduled nonstop screenings and have adopted massive price points, in sync with the viewer demand.
The audiences sitting will be served the routine government warnings about alcohol along with a partially muted Spider-Man, as this whole saga unfolds within the Marvel universe and will likely only conclude with the next international film undergoing similar screening processes.
