Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout has released this Friday in India but thanks to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) – there is no mention of India’s troubled state – Kashmir in the film, The Quint reported.
The climax is set in Kashmir and both director Christopher McQuarrie and star Tom Cruise have gone at length about featuring the region in the film. McQuarrie has said they wanted a “more politically complex” world for the new Mission: Impossible, and that is how Kashmir found a place in the narrative. They couldn’t get permissions to actually shoot in the state, so New Zealand subbed in for Kashmir.
However, the version of the film released in Indian theatres has no mention of Kashmir – there are noticeable cuts in the final act of the film, and no title card identifies the location, which the film had routinely been doing so far. While providing some exposition, Rebecca Ferguson’s Ilsa Faust makes a passing reference to the Nubra Valley and the Siachen glacier, but never is the word Kashmir mentioned.
“We would have loved to come to India to shoot the film. We couldn’t shoot the aerial sequence (helicopter chase sequence) in India. It was a little too crazy. So, we ended up in New Zealand. But I scouted India extensively and I would love to come to India and shoot a film,” McQuarrie had previously told IANS.
A Quint report previously said that the CBFC had removed references to Kashmir, although the majority of the action remains intact. In fact, the Indian Army gets a mention too.
Earlier in the franchise, 2011’s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol had a sequence set in Mumbai which remained undisturbed in the Indian release.
Mission: Impossible – Fallout has won the box office over in India with as many as 9.50 crores on opening day, reported Box Office India.
The movie is rated 97% on Rotten Tomatoes.