Mukesh Khanna says CBFC must change Deepika Padukone’s dress in Pathaan’s Besharam Rang: ‘No producer will dare to do this in future’

Following the uproar, Pathaan saw boycotts in various parts of the country. In a protest in Indore, people set the effigies of Deepika and Shah Rukh on fire. Madhya Pradesh minister Narottam Mishra said the song contained some objectionable scenes and costumes and if they are not replaced, Pathaan may be banned in Madhya Pradesh.

In a video uploaded on his YouTube channel, Mukesh Khanna–known for his controversial, orthodox views— slammed Hindi film producers and alleged they use Hindu religion as a “soft target”, which the CBFC must take note of.

“I have heard that the CBFC is considering removing objectionable bits from the song. I would urge the censor board to be more aware. If any producer intends to attack Hindu religion, then you are censor board. Someone told me, ‘Sir, CBFC has passed it, what is your objection to it?’ I said, is the censor board Supreme Court? If they don’t have knowledge of Hindu religion, then they don’t have the right to be in censor board. We will protest… This is too much now,” he said.

The actor said the CBFC must chop Deepika’s saffron colour bikini from the song– and send a larger message to filmmakers. “If the censor board decides to change the words (of the song), that wouldn’t suffice. The entire dress has to be changed. I am with this movement (to boycott the song), so that no producer dares to do this in the future. They will suffer losses and eventually no producer will do this.”

Recently, CBFC Chairperson Prasoon Joshi shared a statement where he mentioned that the committee has “stayed unbiased” when it comes to the colour of the costumes in the movie.  In his statement, Joshi stated, “CBFC always has a tough task to strike the right balance between audience sensibilities and creative expressions and we have stayed true to this spirit in the certification on film Pathaan too.”

He further said that the changes have been suggested to the makers of Pathaan “with a balanced and holistic view” and it will be clear once the film is out in cinema halls on January 25, 2023.

Though there has been an uproar from the right wing over the song, former CBFC chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani believes the film is a “victim” of controversy and claimed that the CBFC must have been “pressurised by the ministry to delete this portion of saffron colour.”