CBFC blocks ‘Marco’ TV release

Unni Mukundan in a still from ‘Marco’
| Photo Credit: Unni Mukundan Films

Malayalam film Marco will not have a television run with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) denying satellite rights for the movie citing its portrayal of extreme violence. Speaking to The Hindu, T. Nadeem Thufail, Thiruvananthapuram Regional Officer of the CBFC, said that the movie even with drastic cuts failed to clear the requirements to be shown to a television audience.

Ahead of the theatrical release, the CBFC had certified Marco under the ‘A’ category, limiting it as suitable for adults only. However, makers of films categorised as ‘A’ usually apply for category conversion to ‘UA’ or ‘U’ for securing television satellite rights by removing the mature content. According to Mr.Thufail, the makers of Marco had also made a similar application, which has now been rejected.

“Unlike for theatres, there is closer scrutiny in censoring for television as it is usually meant for family viewing. In the case of Marco, the committee tried to make further cuts to the ones which the makers had already made. But, since the film is filled with violence almost throughout its duration, atleast 40 minutes of content will have to be removed to give it lower certification, which will affect the film’s continuity.

For the censoring ahead of the theatrical release, the regional examination committee had submitted a report to the CBFC headquarters flagging the depiction of excessive violence against women and children in Marco. The CBFC sent the film to a ten-member revising committee, which gave it an ‘A’ certificate after removing some of the extremely brutal scenes and after inserting sufficient warning cards.

An official of the Cubes International Group, one of the producers of Marco, told The Hindu that the application for satellite rights was made by another group which had secured the rights for the film in other languages. The producers are yet to submit an application for satellite rights of the Malayalam version.

Directed and written by Haneef Adeni, Marco stars Unni Mukundan in the lead role, with Siddique and Jagadish in pivotal roles. The film, which was marketed as the most violent film in Malayalam cinema, has been at the receiving end of criticism for extremely violent scenes including brutal attacks on minors and women. The film is at the centre of debates in Kerala over the role of films in fuelling shocking acts of violence by young people in recent times.