Salman can sing Hanuman Chalisa

Tribunal clears a promo showing Salman Khan chanting the Hanuman Chalisa at a rock concert, after it was shot down by the censor board.

Recently, Vipul Shah’s London Dreams promos ran into trouble with the censor board as it had Salman Khan chanting the Hanuman Chalisa during a rock concert. It was only when the producer-director approached the tribunal that the promos were cleared.

A source said, “The censor board felt that chanting the Hanuman Chalisa during a rock concert might hurt some religious sentiments so they asked Vipul to change the visuals. Vipul, who thought otherwise, approached the revising committee, who too turned him down. So Vipul went to Delhi and approached the tribunal, which accepted his point of view and passed the promos.”

Vipul Shah confirmed the news and said, “Lord Hanuman is also known as Sankat Mochan, which means one who puts an end to all problems. In the film, Salman plays a simpleminded Punjabi, who believes that chanting the Hanuman Chalisa will put an end to the problem he is facing. As expected, everything turns positive for him and his rock band. Since these days everything is a bit sensitive, the censor board raised objections. However, the tribunal, which is a higher body, found no reason why the promos should be changed. That’s where we got the clearance from. After that, we had to again approach the censor board in Mumbai and only then were the promos cleared. It was a bit of a process but we have got the certificate now. The promos will be aired soon.”

Vinayak Azad, regional officer, censor board, said, “The examining committee thought that chanting the Hanuman Chalisa during the rock show might not be appropriate. However, the tribunal felt that it has been done with respect. They also directed the applicant (Vipul Shah) to add another visual of the crowd chanting, ‘Bajrang bali ki jai’ in the end. What’s important is that the order has been passed. The tribunal feels that the promo is appropriate and it’s not offensive or disrespectful to any religion.”