No Censor certificate for ‘Chhatrapati Sambhaji' film yet

Censor Board officer Syed Rabi Hashmi asked the producer to submit evidence that Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj was pressured by Aurangzeb to accept Islam

(Credit – OpInida)

Mumbai – The film ‘Chhatrapati Sambhaji’, which has been in production for the past 8 years in Marathi and Hindi languages, could not be released on 26th January 2024 due to not receiving certification from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) in time. The film Producer-Director Rakesh Subesingh Dulgaj alleged in a press conference held here that Syed Rabi Hashmi, the newly appointed regional officer of the Censor Board’s Mumbai office, had asked for the evidence on whether Aurangzeb had really pressured Chhatrapati Sambhaji to convert to Islam. The film was not certified despite evidence obtained from historians was submitted to the officer. When the film was shown to the Censor Board, it promised to certify within the stipulated time. There is no official response from Syed Rabi Hashmi regarding Dulgaj’s allegations.

Dulgaj said that on 12th January 2024, when the film was seen by the Censor Board, he was told that a certificate would be issued. Changes made in the film were to be informed to him via email. After receiving this assurance from the Censor Board, Dulgaj finalised the release date of the film ‘Chhatrapati Sambhaji’ as 26th January. He said that the Censor Board had assured that the film would be certified by 25th January in any case. After the film’s release date was finalised, Dulgaj kept visiting the Censor Board office, but he could not meet any officer.

Editorial Perspective

As the Central Board of Film Certification is controlled by the Union Government, Hindus feel that it should pay attention to this issue.