Sudha Kongara Opens Up About Parasakthi's Censorship Ordeal and Online Backlash
Director Sudha Kongara has shared shocking details about the last-minute chaos surrounding the release of Parasakthi. The film, starring Sivakarthikeyan, faced a major clash with the Central Board of Film Certification. Kongara revealed she had just one day to implement 25 cuts ordered by the CBFC, leaving no time to challenge the decisions.
A Frantic Race Against Time
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Kongara described the intense pressure her team endured. She received the official cut list only two days before the film's scheduled release. This gave them a single day to make all the required changes.
"We didn't sleep for 70 hours. It was hell," Kongara stated. She expressed frustration over what she called silly edits, like removing the word 'Sirikki' from dialogues when songs in the film still contained it.
Specific Cuts and Creative Compromises
The director elaborated on some of the specific trims demanded by the censor board. These included reducing a self-immolation scene by just two-and-a-half seconds and cutting a massacre sequence from 17 to 10 seconds.
Kongara also addressed the request to add a "this is fiction" warning for scenes inspired by real policies. She provided proof of the policies but agreed to label the scenes as 'constructed'.
"None of the cuts, basically bad words and some violence, affected my film," she said. "You choose your battles wisely."
Allegations of Targeted Online Attacks
Beyond the censorship issues, Kongara spoke out against what she described as a coordinated online smear campaign. She hinted that the attacks originated from fans of actor Vijay, whose film Jana Nayagan was initially set to clash with Parasakthi.
"There is slandering, defamation of the worst kind, hiding behind unknown IDs," Kongara asserted. She shared a threatening post from an X account that demanded an apology to Vijay's fans for the film to succeed.
Previous Praise for CBFC Turns Sour
Interestingly, Kongara had previously praised the CBFC as "democratic" and "fair" in an interview with Galatta Plus. She explained that this was before receiving the cut list, when she was only told about audio cuts.
The director's change in perspective highlights the sudden and overwhelming nature of the certification process.
Sivakarthikeyan's Take on the Rush
Earlier, lead actor Sivakarthikeyan also commented on the rushed certification. He told India Today that the team focused solely on implementing changes without questioning the CBFC's rationale due to time constraints.
Kongara remains hopeful that Parasakthi will gain momentum during the Pongal weekend. She emphasized the challenges of modern film marketing, where simply letting a film speak for itself is no longer enough.
