'Been ghosted': Nikkhil Advani as 'Vedaa' faces CBFC clearance hurdles
27 Jul 2024

Nikkhil Advani, the director of the much-anticipated action drama Vedaa, starring John Abraham and Sharvari, has expressed his shock over the Central Board of Film Certification's (CBFC) silence on the film's clearance.

The film was screened for CBFC on June 25 but was sent to the Revising Committee without any explanation or list of objections.

Speaking to Mid-Day, Advani stated that it is customary for the Examining Committee to provide a list of objections after watching a film.

Advani expresses frustration over CBFC's uncommunicative stance
Director's disappointment

Advani said, "I have never had this experience where CBFC has held something for a month, and I have no idea what the issue is."

"I will say, however, that I have never seen a time when a filmmaker hasn't been able to talk to CBFC about the changes. But this time...it feels like I have been ghosted."

This comes after his previous experience with Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway, where after explaining their perspective on an issue, the board understood.

Release date uncertainty for 'Vedaa' amid CBFC delays
Release delay

Vedaa is scheduled for release on August 15, a date shared by two other Hindi releases - Rajkummar Rao's Stree 2 and Akshay Kumar's Khel Khel Mein.

However, due to the delay in certification, it seems unlikely that Vedaa will meet its release date.

Advani said, "[A delay in release] cannot happen because it will lead to major losses for me and the studio. Right now, we are hoping that the Monday screening happens."

'Vedaa' makers' statement on CBFC non-clearance
Official statement

The makers of Vedaa earlier issued an official statement on July 25 expressing their concern over the non-clearance from CBFC.

They revealed that they had followed all protocols and applied for Vedaa's certification eight weeks before its release.

Despite their best efforts, they have not received any clearance or certification from CBFC.

The statement also mentioned their hope that their faith in the system would ensure a smooth obligation from CBFC.