Yash Raj Films’ highly anticipated action thriller, War 2, is gearing up for its theatrical release next Friday. However, before it hits the big screen, the film has been subject to several changes mandated by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and a voluntary reduction in its runtime by the production team.
According to a report from Bollywood Hungama, the CBFC instructed the film’s makers to implement both audio and visual cuts. These changes included muting “inappropriate references” in six different places, replacing an “obscene” dialogue with an approved sentence, and completely deleting an “obscene” two-second gesture. The board also asked for a 50% reduction in “sensual images,” a cut that amounted to nine seconds of screen time and is speculated to include scenes featuring actor Kiara Advani in a bikini.
Following these changes, War 2 was granted a U/A 16+ certificate on August 6. The film’s initial length was 2 hours, 59 minutes, and 49 seconds.
In a subsequent development, the War 2 team voluntarily approached the CBFC to further shorten the film. The filmmakers decided to reduce the film’s runtime to 2 hours, 51 minutes, and 44 seconds, a total reduction of over eight minutes. While the CBFC had not requested these additional cuts, sources suggest the team made the decision to tighten the pace of the film. No further changes to the action sequences were requested or made.
War 2 is a sequel to the 2019 blockbuster War and is a part of the larger YRF Spy Universe. The film, directed by Ayan Mukerji, features Hrithik Roshan as Major Kabir Dhaliwal and marks Jr. NTR’s Bollywood debut as Vikram, a character who will clash with Kabir over their conflicting ideologies of patriotism. Kiara Advani plays the role of Kavya Luthra. The film is slated for a worldwide release on August 14.