There are many things one can and should expect when they are going to watch Donald Trump’s biopic. Explicit, radical, and political are the few adjectives The Apprenticethat make up the top three on the list when it comes to describing the man, and to the film’s disappointment, CBFC likes none of those things.
As per recent reports, the Central Board of Film Certification in India has suggested a few measures to “clean up” the movie for the Indian audience. Of course, this includes the Oppenheimer treatment, where the movie is required to cut away all the explicit scenes from “The Apprentice.” These include depictions of non-consensual sex, nudity, and, of course, substance abuse.
The makers have been asked about the legitimacy of the content that is being shown, as CBFC is asking for the source. The racial comments are also to be done away with if the makers wish that the movie gets a release in India.
In the defense of the project, the director Ali Abbasi has come up with the explanation that these scenes are in fact intrinsic to the plot, and to remove them will make the impact of the scene diminish completely. On the other hand, we have CBFC stating “the cuts weren’t drastic.”.
The other changes that are being enforced on the movie include cutting away with the racial elements and slurs used in the movie, along with the standard disclaimer to avoid drinking and smoking.
As mentioned earlier, there are a few things that are prerequisite to certain characters and personalities. And while it will be a dream come true to see the Indian audience being sensible enough to understand the artistic vision, as of now it is far from reality. To be fair, it is necessary for the movie to be morphed a little to suit the Indian audience, and thus the movie is yet to have a release in India.