Salaar Ceasefire - Prashant Neel admits he was disappointed with film’s A censor certificate

Salaar: Ceasefire, which releases in theatres on December 22, bears an A certificate. The Prabhas-led film is the story of the most violent man, after all, so the film has its fair share of violence. As violent as Salaar Part 1 is, director Prashant Neel says that he’s seen worse stuff in earlier Telugu films and yet, they have not got such ‘harsh’ censor certificates.

Admitting that he is disappointed with the certification, which will keep family audiences away from theatres, Prashant, in a special interview with SS Rajamouli for Hombale Films, said that he did not design Salaar to be an A rated film. In fact, the filmmaker was okay with most of the suggested cuts that would have got the film U/A, but for two. These sequences, Prashant felt, would diminish the impact of the drama he was building and he could not envision the film without these scenes.

The grey colour palette of KGF and Salaar is a reflection of Prashant Neel’s personality 

“The intention wad never to make film that was so violent that it was going to get an A certificate. I have seen Telugu cinema in the last 20-30 years and I thought that my action pales in comparison to that,” said Prashant, adding that he was quite disappointed with the rating. “I have not made a film that is vulgar or insensible with violence; it is all necessary violence. This movie requires it as it is about friendship, sacrifice,” said the filmmaker.

What does Salaar maker Prashant Neel think is the actual appeal of stunts, if not the action? 

Salaar: Ceasefire heads into a three-way box office clash with Shah Rukh Khan’s Dunki and Jason Momoa’s Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom. The film, which has cinematography by Bhuvan Gowda and music by Ravi Basrur, both of who worked on KGF as well, also stars Shruti Haasan, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Pramod, Tinu Anand, Naveen Shankar, Garuda Ram, Jagapathi Babu, Bobby Simha, Shreya Reddy and Eashwari Rao, among others.