Waiting for Censor Nod

A still from Finding Fanny Fernandes

When Homi Adajania’s Finding Fanny was in the making a month ago, the makers, Illuminati Productions, decided that the quirky film could best be promoted through word-of-mouth. Set in Goa, the film follows the story of five dysfunctional friends who head out on a road trip in search of Fanny, the love-interest of the character played by Naseeruddin Shah. The movie was set to premiere on August 25,
17 days ahead of the film’s release in Mumbai to create a buzz about the film.

However, the plans have gone awry because of the arrest of Rakesh Kumar, CEO, Central Board for Film Certification (CBFC), on bribery charges. The sequence of events since have thrown Finding Fanny’s makers’ plan into a tizzy. The film has been rejected permission twice by Animal Welfare Board, as stated by their website, for a scene that involves a hen. The several long weekends, thanks to public holidays, haven’t helped either. The arrest has also slowed down the process of certification. There was allegedly a revised date set for the industry screening, on September 1, which has also been cancelled. Now, the makers are hoping they don’t have to push the movie’s theatrical release. Producer Dinesh Vijan remained unavailable for comment.