'Omerta' release postponed after censor hurdle over national anthem
Mumbai, April 19: Hansal Mehta’s gritty, raw, brutal and disturbing "Omerta", the film about the global terror activities of Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, has finally been cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification with an 'A' certificate.
Mehta, who has in the past fought many brave battles with the censor board, was ready for a long grim fight to ensure nothing was tampered with in "Omerta". In an earlier interview, he had said he would not allow even a single cut.
However, only one major cut has been ordered. It is the sequence where Sheikh, essayed by actor Rajkummar Rao, is seen urinating in prison while the Indian national anthem plays outside.
The censor board has asked for the national anthem to be removed from this offensive scene.
"Omerta" producer Furquan Khan said: "We've been asked to remove the national anthem from that sequence and replace it with routine background music. We happily complied and walked away with an ‘A' certificate which the film deserves."
The film, which was scheduled to release on Friday, is now being readied for a May 4 release when it will rub shoulders with Umesh Shukla's Amitabh Bachchan-Rishi Kapoor father-son comedy "102 Not Out".
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Two people killed as poultry vehicle rams into parked truck in Belagavi
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): Two people were killed, and another was severely injured after a goods vehicle transporting poultry birds allegedly rammed into a stationary truck on a national highway in Belagavi in the early hours of Tuesday, police said.
The deceased have been identified as Wasim (28) and Mubarak (22), both natives of Shivamogga district, they said.
The driver of the vehicle, Basavaraj Eerappa Hanchinamani (37), suffered critical injuries and has been admitted to a hospital, police said.
According to police, the accident occurred when the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle, allegedly due to drowsiness, and crashed into a truck parked along the highway.
The goods vehicle was en route from Kolhapur to Sorab in Shivamogga district, carrying poultry. Several chickens were also killed in the impact, a senior police officer said.
Police personnel from the Hirebagewadi Police Station visited the spot and conducted an inspection.
Injured people and the bodies of the deceased were shifted to a hospital, police added.
