Whoever walks into a theater to see a James Bond movie expects to see shooting aimed at bad guys as well as the main hero, beautiful women kissing 007 and a lot of booze, but the "Spectre" India version has a fairly toned down version of all of this, and people are taking to protesting over this censorship.
Pahlaj Nihalani, the chairman of the country's Central Board of Film Certification, has been under fire in the past few days after it was discovered that snipets of kissing scenes between Daniel Craig and French Bond girl Léa Seydoux were cut from the "Spectre" India version of the film.
According to NDTV, in the midst of the controversy regarding the "Spectre" India cut, Nihalani has spoken to the press and stated time and again that all changes made were under regulation, and that he doesn't understand what the big deal is about this particular movie when previous Bond films have gotten bigger cuts in the past.
"Point out something I have not done within rules, then I have no problem in stepping down," said Nihalani, the Indian Express reports, regarding the recent backlash about the "Spectre" India cut. "The cuts were made in the past, but there was no controversy then. Now various things are being said."
He then went on to express that producers behind the film extended their happiness that the "Spectre" India cuts were minimal, as opposed to previous outings of the 007 agent.
Deccan Herald reports that this hasn't halted the controversy, however, and neither has the fact that Nihalani has also stated publicly that he hasn't actually seen the film yet, saying it's not his job to do so, which has angered critics.
Despite this, or perhaps because of the rising controversy, "Spectre" has done very well in the box office in the country, as many continue to protest the "Spectre" India cuts.
