British actor Daniel Craig and US actress Rooney Mara of 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'. AFP PHOTO
MUMBAI—Sony Pictures will not release its blockbuster movie “The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo” in India after censors demanded that scenes showing “bare bottoms” be blurred.
The Hollywood film starring Daniel Craig about a journalist’s search for a woman missing for 40 years was due to be released on February 10, but it ran into problems with India’s Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
“Bare bottom and bare-breast scenes are not allowed in India,” J.P. Singh, an official at CBFC, told AFP.
“We objected to several scenes in ‘The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo’ and wanted them to be blurred.”
Sony Pictures in India acknowledged in a statement sent to AFP on Monday that it would not compromise on the content of the film, which has grossed $185 million worldwide.
“The Censor Board has adjudged the film unsuitable for public viewing in its unaltered form,” the statement said.
“And while we are committed to maintaining and protecting the vision of the director, we will, as always, respect the guidelines set by the board.”
The movie directed by David Fincher, whose previous hits include “Fight Club” and “The Social Network”, is the first US interpretation of a hugely popular book series by late Swedish writer Stieg Larsson.
Over 1,700 foreign films are released in India every year after passing certification tests by India’s powerful censor board.