Children can t watch Rangoon in Britain & Singapore

As we lambast the Indian censor board non-stop for its allegedly ultra-conservative approach to violence and sex, take a moment off from your attitudes of cynicism to consider the fact that Vishal Bhardwaj s drama of deceit and betrayal Rangoon was given a UA certificate in India, which means kids could see Shahid Kapoor and Kangna Ranaut making out in the mud as long as they were accompanied by an adult.

The same film has been certified A 12 in Britain which means children below the age of 12 cannot watch Rangoon. In Singapore the censor grading has been even harsher. Rangoon has been granted an NC 16 . That means no children under 16 years of age are allowed to see the film.

Commenting on the disparity between the way Rangoon was viewed by the Indian censor board and its international counterparts, Indian censor chief Pahlaj Nihalani says, We here are sneered at for being Sanskari and over-conservative. But we ve been more liberal in the censor certification of films like Befikre, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and Rangoon than many countries abroad. But of course no one notices when we re liberal. Labelling us primitive and over-conservative is far more fashionable than discovering that we can be more liberal than the so-called first-world countries.