Director Anurag Kashyap, who has had many run-ins with the Indian censor board, says that they have been kind to his new film, Raman Raghav 2.0, but he is still not willing to accept any cuts.
At the trailer launch, he said: “Right now, let’s see what happens. The censor board in a way has been the kindest to this film, because they actually liked it and whatever.
“But for me, in this film there are many things that I want them to stay intact. So for me, I would not be satisfied with a single cut. And to avoid any kind of a cut, we will do whatever it will take.”
Raman Raghav 2.0 will be screened at the Cannes Film Festival, which starts on Wednesday.
With the current obsession in the film industry to book release dates several months early, one wonders if Kashyap timed the release to sync with Cannes? “No, it is absolutely not that. Our release date depends on when the film gets ready. And usually it also depends on the censors,” he said.
Kashyap’s troubles with the censor board are well-known; his debut film, Paanch is still reportedly unreleased due to the censor board’s objections. He also delayed the release of his film Ugly for a long time as he didn’t want to carry an antismoking disclaimer, which he eventually agreed to.
He said Raman Raghav 2.0 is inspired from the infamous 1960s serial killer Raman Raghav and is not a biopic. “If you look at the film from one way, it is fiction, but a lot of elements are borrowed from the original story ... It’s always very difficult, but this is not really based on a real-life character.
“This is actually inspired from him because that character is in the 1960s and this film is based in today’s times. It’s difficult because you’re starting to say something, you’re treading a very dangerous line and you have your own sense of responsibility ... If it would’ve been a biopic it would have been 10 times more difficult.”
Nawazuddin Siddiqui plays the title character.
