Maatr trailer: Raveena Tandon's subtle act brings to life horrors of rape survivors

The trailer of Ashtar Sayed’s revenge thriller Maatr is out. Raveena Tandon’s film revolves around how a rape survivor overcomes all odds and assumes the responsibility of bringing the perpetrators to task herself. DNA reports that the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC)had refused to clear the trailer of the film with a ‘U/A’ certificate as it originally consisted of multiple shots of violence and blood. The CBFC guidelines state that violence and blood cannot be shown in a trailer if it has been granted a ‘U’ or ‘U/A’ certificate. The CBFC can clear such a trailer only if it is granted an ‘A’ certificate.

Fearing limited reach, the makers decided to re-edit the trailer in order to get a more universal rating. The same report quotes co-producer Anjum Rizvi as saying, “Unless you show such scenes, how do you convey to the audience what the film is all about? Without these scenes, the film looks flat. We wanted to release the trailer in the coming week, so we had to cut some shots, redo it and finally, we got an U/A. There are certain shots of women being slapped along with other scenes of violence that had to be let go of.” The makers might have cut down on graphic details in the trailer but they managed to keep the graveness of the issue intact with fleeting glimpses of rape incidents and the heartfelt performance by Raveena Tandon who has little to say in the trailer yet she conveys volumes with her expressions. However, the trailer falls short on novelty as it feels like a series of documented episodes put together to raise a burning issue. While it just skims the surface, the film may prove to be a pleasant surprise.