Better to make Baahubali than Mahabharat, says Saif Ali Khan; is he hinting at Padmavat controversy?

After Chef, Saif Ali Khan is back this year with an interesting movie titled Kaalakaandi. The actor will be seen in a unique character and the trailer promises that the film will be quite entertaining.

The movie went through some censor board issue, but the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) passed the film.

Talking to Mid-Day, Saif shared his views on whether the censor board was curbing creativity. He said: "I don't know, but things are taking a political undertone.

"It's definitely better to make a Baahubali than a Mahabharat. People have become sensitive, and have started blurring the lines between religion, mythology, fact and fiction."

Looks like someone is quite wary of the Padmavat (earlier titled Padmavati) row. Did Saif hint at the Sanjay Leela Bhansali movie controversy?

Well, he may be right that making a Baahubali is easier than making a Mahabharat. If people have turned violent in Padmavat case, one wonders what will happen if and when Aamir Khan announces his period drama based on Mahabharat.

Meanwhile, Saif is happy that his movie has been certified and is one of those films that has crossed the CBFC hurdle. Earlier reports had stated that the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had demanded 72 cuts in Kaalakaandi, but the makers refused to go ahead with it.

Now, the movie has been passed by FCAT with one cut. On this, Saif told the daily: "Yes, I think going to the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) was great. They passed the movie with one cut. See, not all bad words are offensive. When you show two mafia members, you have to show them as they are.

"They're crude. And that's how they talk. You can give the film an A certificate if you don't like the language. That will restrict the audience. But it would be terrible to have candy-floss movies where everyone speaks the same way. The film has gone through a bit of red tape, but it's worked out well. I don't feel like a victim of censorship."

Kaalakaandi is set to release this Friday, January 12. Saif's previous two films — Chef and Rangoon — didn't work at the box office. Will Kaalakaandi be lucky for him? Let's wait till this weekend.