When the censor board asked for 250 cuts in this classic Dilip Kumar film

December 11 marks the birth anniversary of legendary Bollywood actor Dilip Kumar. The actor had earned an instant iconic status for revolutionising the acting style in mainstream Hindi cinema, and his imprints on movies was noticeable for decades to come. However, unlike his peers Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar never showed an inclination towards producing or directing movies. And the one time he did in 1961 was one tumultuous journey.

When Censor board found Ganga Jumna too vulgar and violent for release

The 1961 film Ganga Jumna was an extra special project for Dilip Kumar due to multiple reasons - Not only has Dilip Kumar wrote the storyline for the film, but also his brother made his acting debut with this film.

However, Dilip Kumar got the shock of his life when the censor board reached back to his request for certification for Ganga Jumna, with a lengthy list of edits and cuts required to pass the film. Not 1 or 2 - the censor board had infact asked for 250 cuts in Ganga Jumna.

According to the censor board, which was then led by Minister of Information and Broadcasting Dr B V Keskar, the film was very violent and vulgar in its content, and could not be passed for unrestricted viewing to the family-oriented mass audience in India.

When a 15-minute meeting with PM turned into a 1.5 hour session 

At the same time, Dilip Kumar was not the one to put down his guns so easily. The actor decided to approach none other than the prime minister Jawahar Lal Nehru, requesting his invention in the matter. After a lot of efforts, the actor reportedly got a 15-minute slot to meet Nehru and explain his conundrum. However, the meeting lasted for over 1 and a half hours where Nehru patiently heard Dilip Kumar’s side about the dictator-like attitude displayed by the censor board.

Nehru’s intervention helped Dilip Kumar get an instant pass for his film’s certification. Ganga Jumna eventually released with a ‘U’ certificate and was a massive hit at the box office. And although Dilip Kumar did not win any major award for his performance, his Ganga Jumna act continues to be remembered as one of his greatest ever.