When the film's song 'Besharam Rang' was released in December 2022, Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone's 'Pathaan' began making headlines for all the opposite reasons. Soon after some social media users began criticising the song's clothing and dance sequence, Prasoon Joshi, the chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), admitted that the film had been cut per the rulebook.
According to Bollywood Hungama, three changes have been made to the song 'Besharam Rang'. Close-up shots of buttocks,' side pose (partial nudity)' shots, and graphics of sultry choreography during the lyrics 'Bahut tang kiya' were cut or reduced and replaced with suitable photos'. The CBFC cut list, on the other hand, does not specify how many seconds of footage was censored. It also needs to be made clear whether or not the images of the orange swimsuit that caused such a stir have been kept.
Following these changes, the CBFC granted Pathaan's producers the censor certificate on January 2. The film received a U/A certificate; its running time is 2 hours and 26 minutes, as stated on the certificate.
The examining committee has also requested more than ten cuts in the film, most of which are associated with the dialogue. Due to the context, the word 'RAW' was replaced with 'Hamare' in two places. 'Langde Lulle' was replaced by 'Toote Foote'. The term 'PMO' was dropped, while 'PM' was replaced by President or Minister in 13 areas.
Then 'Ashok Chakra' was replaced by 'Veer Puraskar,' 'ex-KGB' by 'ex-SBU,' and 'Mrs Bharatmata' by 'Hamari Bharatmata'. The word 'scotch' was replaced by 'drink' in the dialogue 'Isse sasti scotch nahin mili'. Then, at one point in the film, the text 'Black Prison, Russia' was changed to 'Black Prison'.
Produced by Aditya Chopra's Yash Raj Films, Pathaan stars Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham. It is directed by Siddharth Anand and was released on January 25, 2023.
