After 'Oppenheimer', Zendaya's 'Challengers' release in India sparks controversy over blurred scenes
‘Challengers’, the Luca Guadagnino directorial, starring Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor in pivotal roles, hit the big screen in India this weekend. The film features a steamy love scene between the three leads, prompting fans in India to wonder if the threesome made it past the ‘sanskari’ Censor Board, or if it faced the chopping block.
Taking to their X handles, fans tweeted, “Anyone in India watch Challengers yet? Wanna know if it’s censored to s**t or not.”
Another asked, “Is Challengers censored in India?”
Still another asked, “Anybody watch challengers in India? Is it heavily censored??!!”
According to reports, while the Indian release largely aligned with its international counterpart, certain scenes were subject to censorship.
One of the most talked-about aspects of the film was a controversial threesome scene, which surprisingly made it to the final cut in the Indian version. However, despite the inclusion of the steamy scene, the censor board blurred two other scenes in the movie, albeit not related to its steamy content.
The film that received an A rating interestingly censored out visuals of cigarettes. According to reports, Indian censorship regulations required the makers to blur the depiction of cigarette boxes in these scenes and add a health warning about the dangers of smoking.
Apart from these alterations, the film reportedly retained its essence with minimal edits for the Indian audience.
Last year, the Christopher Nolan film ‘Oppenheimer’ made headlines when a sex scene involving Cillian Murphy and Florence Pugh, was heavily censored. The scene in question saw the board paint a sleeveless top on Florence, who was supposed to be naked in the scene.
Zendaya, also serving as a producer for the film, portrays the character Tashi, the dedicated wife and coach of tennis sensation Art (played by Faist, known for his breakout role in “West Side Story”). Tashi’s own tennis career was sidelined due to a career-ending knee injury, yet her determination remains unyielding. When Art finds himself facing off against his old friend Patrick (portrayed by O’Connor, recognized for his role in Alice Rohrwacher’s “La Chimera”) in New Rochelle, their intertwined history is provocatively reignited, adding depth to the narrative.
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