Suhas was all set to drop his new movie, Hey Bhagawan, but the Censor Board had some issues, so they had to change the title to Hey Balwanth. The new tightening of rules by the CBFC is creating trouble for Telugu films in recent times.
In recent weeks, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has reportedly been mandating title changes as part of the censor procedure, putting Telugu Films in a difficult position just days before release.
Censor Board’s Behavior Annoys Telugu Filmmakers
One of the latest examples is Couple Friendly, starring Santosh Sobhan and Manasa Varanasi. The team was advised to change the film’s title to secure a U/A certificate. But they chose to retain the original title and instead accepted an ‘A’ certificate, as they believed changing the name at the last minute would create confusion among audiences and affect the film’s recall value.
As said above, Suhas’s Hey Bhagawan, which is set for a theatrical release on February 20th, was renamed Hey Balwanth because of objections from the censor board. Chaiwala became Nawabs Cafe, and a few months before, Vanara was retitled Vana Veera. With more films reportedly facing similar scrutiny, concerns are growing within the industry about creative freedom and the increasing trend of title-level intervention by the CBFC.
