India-born Hollywood actress Freida Pinto is eagerly awaiting the release of her film "Trishna" in her home country, but is apparently apprehensive about the bold version that is due for a release in other countries.
According to reports, the film involves some overtly graphic and brutal love-making scenes between Pinto and actor Riz Ahmed, which according to the actress aren't suitable for the Indian audience. Hence, she has insisted that the producers would present a toned down version of the film in India.
Agreeing to Pinto's insistence, producer Sunil Bohra decided to present two different versions of the film to the Indian Censor Board of Film Certification, both in Hindi and English.
"The dubbed Hindi version to be screened for the censor board will have the love scenes mellowed down," Bohra told The Times of India.
"I can't remove them altogether since they carry the story forward. The English version will however, have the scenes intact," he said. "Abroad, the censor rules are more liberal regarding such intimate scenes."
After some editing and dilution of the sex scenes, the film has been passed by the censor board with an "A" certificate.
"The producer has edited some of the portions with which the censor could have had a problem and the censor board has passed the film without suggesting any further cuts," Indian Today quoted a source as saying.
"The producers can definitely not release the version which was shown at various international film festivals, since it's too bold," the source said.
"Trishna" starring Freida Pinto and British-Pakistani actor Riz Ahmed was shot in Jaipur and Mumbai by director Michael Winterbottom and is slated to release in November in India. It was premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2011.
Set in contemporary Rajasthan, the film is based on Thomas Hardy's classic novel "Tess of the D'Urbervilles," wherein Pinto plays the role of an auto-driver's daughter.
