The makers of Bhooth Bangla have finalised the film’s runtime at 164 minutes and 52 seconds after fresh voluntary edits were accepted by the Central Board of Film Certification on April 11. The horror comedy has been certified UA 16+ ahead of its theatrical rollout in India.

Earlier, the censor certificate issued on April 2 listed the film’s duration as 174 minutes and 57 seconds. Following additional revisions by the team, the runtime was reduced by 10 minutes and 5 seconds. The updated duration now stands at 2 hours, 44 minutes and 52 seconds.

As part of the latest changes, the makers trimmed as many as 63 scenes. While several cuts involved only a few seconds, the longest removal lasted 72 seconds from a sequence in the song ‘O Sundari.’ Another 27 seconds were removed from the song ‘O Re O Sawariya.’

During the initial certification process, the Examining Committee had also suggested a few modifications. An obscene word at the 26th minute was replaced, while another set of objectionable words around the one hour mark was asked to be changed. Towards the end of the film, an obscene word appearing in the subtitle was removed. A denigrating reference to women in the first half was replaced, and the makers were instructed to include disclaimers relating to religious and superstitious references in the narrative.

After these changes were implemented, the film received its censor certificate on April 2.

The film is scheduled to arrive in cinemas on April 16 with paid previews, while advance bookings are set to begin on April 14. The updated runtime brings the final version closer to its theatrical release as anticipation builds around the Akshay Kumar starrer.

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: CBFC replaces obscene words in Bhooth Bangla; makers voluntarily bring down the film’s length by 10 minutes post-certification