The British Board of Film Classification, which has cleared Bollywood film Padmavati for release in the U.K. with a 12A rating, has said it “does not take into account lobbying of any kind during the classification process.”
“The BBFC makes all classification decisions in line with its published Classification Guidelines only,” a spokesperson told this paper on Thursday.
“As an organisation, The BBFC fulfils its role by providing age classifications and publishing advice (BBFCinsight) for individual films and videos. We do this without infringing the right of adults to choose what they view, provided that it remains within UK law and is not potentially harmful. We seek to ensure that films and videos reach the widest audience that is appropriate for their theme and treatment,” they added.
Earlier this month, the BBFC gave the go-ahead for Padmavati to be released, uncut, in the U.K. on December 1. While the film won’t be released on this date, after the producers delayed the release, Rajput groups in the U.K. initially pledged protests.
This week, the BBFC published further details of its analysis of the film, for BBFCinsight, an online programme to help potential audiences, and particularly parents, assess the suitability of films. The BBFCinsight on Padmavati notes “frequent scenes of moderate violence, “occasional injury,” “mild sex references” and “very mild bad language.”
