'Mamta Child Factory' v/s CBFC heats up; show-cause notice issued
What's the story
Director Mohsin Khan has hit back at the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for calling his film Mamta Child Factory a dubbed version. After months of delay in certifying the film, the board issued a show-cause notice on October 14, asking why the film should be certified as an original work. In response, Khan clarified that he had shot the film in Hindi from scratch and not dubbed it from another language.
Certification dispute
Khan shot 2 films with same script
In a statement to Mid-Day, Khan expressed his frustration over the issue. He revealed that he had directed two films with the same script and cast - a Marathi version called Delivery Boy (2024) and a Hindi one called Mamta Child Factory. The former was cleared by the CBFC in January 2024 and released in February 2024, while the latter has been stuck since June due to certification issues.
Official appeal
CBFC asked him to apply for a dubbed version
After the board's certification of Delivery Boy and subsequent hold-up of Mamta Child Factory, Khan approached senior CBFC officials, including Rajendra Singh. He argued that the board's approval of his Marathi film but not his Hindi film showed "internal inconsistency." "I was then told to apply for a dubbed version. But this isn't dubbed! I've shot the film in Hindi from scratch."
Director's complaint
'They took the easy route, called it a dub'
Khan claimed that the notice called Mamta Child Factory a dubbed film because they wanted "to avoid giving a real reason. If they had officially rejected it over surrogacy, I would've gone to court." "So, they took the easy route, called it a dub and shut the file." Notably, earlier Khan had alleged CBFC wasn't certifying the film for showing surrogacy through a commercial lens, but he had countered that many such films have come out in the recent past.