‘Damage has been done’, says ‘Sameer’ actor Mohd. Zeeshan Ayyub over CBFC

Zeeshan Ayyub has been a part of many films, but it is his upcoming film ‘Sameer’ that will establish him as the real hero. The man who made his Bollywood debut with the film ‘No One Killed Jessica’ by playing a supporting role, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, would be seen as a protagonist for the first time in ‘Sameer’.

Directed by Dakxin Chhara, ‘Sameer’ is a political drama in which a man gets wrongly framed in a bomb blast case. The trailer itself is very gripping and has quite a few scenes that can lead to controversies. The film did run in trouble with the Certification Board when Pahlaj Nihalani was the chief. But with Prasoon Joshi taking the charge, some hope has been ignited.

So we recently spoke to Zeeshan about his film and inquired about the problem with CBFC. We asked him whether he feels that it would be easier to work with Prasoon Joshi or not, to which he stated, “His (Prasoon Joshi) tenure has been so small as of now, so it is difficult to say. But everyone is hoping for a better situation. The problem is that the people fail to understand that it is a Certification Board and not a Censor Board. Censorship is a very colonial law that was formed by British to stop people from sharing their idea. Unfortunately we are still stuck to that law. The other problem is that they (authorities) feel that they can give cuts to the film and recreate that film. Ideally they can only give certification and suggestions. Even while giving ‘A’ certificate they say they will ban the film. Ideally, it is not your work. If you have disagreements than give an ‘A’.”

He adds further, “I hope it won’t be a problem working with Prasoon Joshi. Pahlaj Nihalani’s tenure was a little dangerous as far as creativity is concerned. Unfortunately, the damage has been done. People are now scared while making the film. Self-censorship has been installed in people in this process. I hope in next few months things will change.”

We agree with what he has said. (Also Read: ‘Sameer’ actress Anjali Patil opens up about her role in the film and more…)

Nikita Thakkar

A strongly opinionated, free-spirited, budding Bollywood journalist, she likes to write anything in her own quirky style. When not running around to get assigned tasks completed, you will find her either painting, indulging in photography or dreaming in the la la land.