Cinema VinesAnne Hathaway is back in a high‑profile role this year, starring alongside Dakota Johnson in the thriller Verity. The film, which follows a struggling writer tasked with completing a bestselling author’s novel after the author falls into a coma, was cleared by India’s Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) on September 29. The certificate, issued with an “A” rating, came after the makers made a series of edits to meet the board’s guidelines.
According to the CBFC’s Examining Committee, the changes included the insertion of anti‑smoking and anti‑alcohol static messages in all scenes where characters smoked or drank. Visuals of e‑cigarettes were removed entirely, and a brand name of a medicine was blurred out. Most notably, the board required the removal of explicit content from the film’s intimate sequences, leading to a total of 23 seconds being cut from the final cut. The majority of the deleted footage involved the much‑talked‑about make‑out scene between Hathaway and Johnson.
Once the edits were completed, the CBFC passed the film with a runtime of 118.41 minutes, or 1 hour, 58 minutes and 41 seconds. Verity will have paid previews on the evening of October 1, with a full theatrical release scheduled for October 2. The movie also features Josh Hartnett in a supporting role.
The decision to trim the intimate scenes reflects the CBFC’s ongoing efforts to balance creative expression with cultural and regulatory standards. Fans of Hathaway and Johnson can look forward to seeing the film in its edited form, while the makers have complied with the board’s requirements to ensure the movie’s release in India.
