CBFC halts MARCO’s TV premiere, no more violent films, says producer

KOCHI: Unni Mukundan's blockbuster film MARCO will not be premiered on television. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has denied the permission to screen the film. The CBFC rejected the application for a lower category change. The central board accepted the recommendation of the regional examination committee. The assessment was that the film contained too much violence to be changed to U or U/A category. If the producers want, they can reapply by cutting out more scenes.

Meantime, MARCO producer Sharif Mohammed said that he will not make another violent film as MARCO. There was criticism against the film MARCO in the wake of the increasing violence among students and youth in the state. The response was in the wake of this. He said MARCO was not a film made with the intention of promoting violence and thought the audience would see the film as a film.

The upcoming film Kattalan also has some violent scenes. The brutal violent scenes in MARCO were made for the sake of the story. We should try to see it as a cinematic experience. The scene of the pregnant woman in MARCO was necessary for the film. The advertisement of the film as the most violent was not to lie. Marco is an 18+ certified film. Children shouldn’t have gone to watch the film in the theatre, he said.

MARCO released last year was a hit film in Malayalam. Directed by Haneef Adeni, the film starred Unni Mukundan in the pivotal role. Not only Malayalees but also other language audiences had liked the film. The Hindi version of the film also garnered good collections.

CBFC’s regional officer, Nadeem Thufali has requested the Centre to intervene and prevent the film from streaming on OTT.