Donald Trump‘s biopic, The Apprentice, has hit a roadblock in India ahead of its release. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has demanded several cuts, prompting director Ali Abbasi to speak out strongly against the censorship. He has emphasised that the world urgently needs a “vaccine” against censorship. Also read: Donald Trump biopic The Apprentice gets stuck ahead of India release; CBFC suggests cuts to explicit scenes
The film, which explores Trump’s early life and his relationship with lawyer Roy Cohn, has already generated significant attention globally. It stars Sebastian Stan as Trump and Jeremy Strong as Cohn.
Ali Abbasi hits back
Earlier in the day, it was reported that the film is facing trouble in India, and that the censor board has suggested removing nudity and reducing non-consensual sex scenes.
The filmmaker took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to express his frustration about the recent development in India.
“I dont know what the hell is wrong with these people! I ran away from Iranian censorship only to meet corporate censorship of US,” he wrote.
The director added, “ Now India! Really? Censorship seems to be an epidemic at the moment. We need a VACCINE”.
Censor trouble
According to Midday, the censor board suggested cuts to several explicit scenes in the biographical drama.
A source said: “The cuts weren’t drastic. The CBFC requested for the deletion of nude scenes wherever they appear in the film. This was more than a minute-long content. What upset the director was the CBFC’s request that the scene, which depicts Trump having non-consensual sex with [then] wife Ivana Trump, be reduced by 75 per cent. The board members also asked the studio to provide the source from where this information has been obtained. Abbasi and the studio countered that the scene has been put for a reason and not with the objective of titillation. The filmmaker, through his representatives, made it known that reducing the sequence takes away its impact altogether. The word ‘Negro’ was also instructed to be dropped, while the standard disclaimers in drinking and smoking scenes were asked to be added”.
The report also stressed that Ali is against censorship. A source from PVR Inox Pictures, who has partnered with the producers to bring The Apprentice to India, shared that Ali is against censorship, adding that there is no scope to negotiate with him. “He would rather halt the India release than agree to them,” said the source.
About the film
The Apprentice explores the bond between the young Donald J. Trump (Sebastian Stan) and the lawyer Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong). Ali Abassi’s film dives into the yearly years of Trump when he was a businessman in New York. It is about how a teenage Trump began his real estate career in New York in the 1970s and 1980s with the assistance of notorious attorney Roy Cohn.
The former president had also threatened legal action against the makers of The Apprentice since its debut at the Cannes Film Festival in May. It created trouble for the makers in securing a distributor. The film was released in the US on October 11.
