Report: Dev Patel’s ‘Monkey Man’ not banned in India

Reports were doing the rounds lately that Dev Patel’s Monkey Man has been banned in India because the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had issues with its violent scenes and religious theme.

However, a leading online portal reveals that the CBFC’s Examining Committee is yet to see the film, hence there is no question of the film facing a ban in the country.

A source tells the publication, “CBFC’s Examining Committee has not even seen the film. Hence, the question doesn’t arise that they are confused as to what to do with the film’s content.”

The source continued, “The Universal Pictures India team applied for a certificate much in advance at the CBFC. But there were multiple holidays last week hence, the delay. Not just Monkey Man, other films have also suffered as a result.”

Earlier, the publication had reported, “The film has excessive violence and there are fears that some of its aspects might hurt the sentiments of the section of the audience. Hence, the Censor process is expected to take time. Also, the Universal team in the USA needs to permit the changes asked by the CBFC. Once they approve, the local team will carry out the changes and only then, the team will announce the release date.”

When asked about when Monkey Man will release in India, the source replied, “The local team is waiting to get the censor certificate in hand. Once that happens, they’ll begin a 7 to 10 days’ promotional campaign and then bring the film to theatres.”

“Monkey Man will now be released in May,” the source concluded.