CBFC member Vivek Agnihotri speaks against OMG 2’s A certificate, says decision comes from ‘social, religious pressure’

Vivek then questioned the idea of censorship in movies and said that a body like CBFC should not exist. He added that he was an advocate of free speech and would even allow hate speech. “Even though I am a part of CBFC but if you ask me, I honestly believe there shouldn’t be any CBFC. I am against any kind of boycotts and bans on the movies. I believe in free speech. I, in fact, believe in absolute free speech, to the extent, that I think even hate speech should be allowed,” he said.

Vivek questioned that these changes question people’s intelligence and asked how the society would become more tolerant if CBFC monitored content in this way. He said, “People are intelligent. Let the audience watch it and digest it. How will you make your audience more tolerant, more inclusive, and more intelligent if you are going to stop everything?” He also added that one should consider the filmmaker’s intention before making a decision. “What is the intention of the filmmaker? If the intention is not bad, let it go,” he said.

The CBFC gave a long list of modifications to the OMG 2 team where they were asked to remove ads of condoms, frontal nudity shots of Naga Sadhus, and visuals of what is being described as ‘sculptures of unnatural sex’ among others. After 27 modifications, the film got an ‘A’ certificate.

OMG 2 releases in theatres on August 11.