New Delhi: Spider-Man: Brand New Day, starring Tom Holland and Zendaya, has received a UA 13+ certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification. The film will release in India after deleting an eight-second kissing scene and muting three expletives.
The certification settles weeks of speculation on whether Indian audiences would see a version of the film that was nearly five minutes shorter than the international release.
The speculation began after Indian ticketing platforms listed the film with a runtime of two hours and 25 minutes, while some international cinema listings showed a runtime of two hours and 30 minutes. This led to reports in June that the censor board had removed nearly five minutes of the film.
At the time, Sony Pictures Entertainment India rejected these claims. The studio said Spider-Man: Brand New Day had not been submitted to CBFC then and that reports about cuts to the Indian version were “inaccurate.”
The film has since completed the certification process. The eight-second kiss and the muted expletives are the only modifications reported after its examination by the board. The UA 13+ certificate allows unrestricted public exhibition but advises parental guidance for children below the age of 13.
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is the fourth Spider-Man film starring Holland. It follows Spider-Man: No Way Home, which ended with the world forgetting Peter Parker after Doctor Strange cast a spell to protect the multiverse.
In the latest film, Holland returns as Peter Parker, while Zendaya reprises her role as MJ and Jacob Batalon returns as Ned Leeds. The cast also includes Sadie Sink, Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle, or the Punisher, and Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner.
The film will be released in India in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. It arrives in Indian cinemas on 30 July, a day before its release in the United States.
(Edited by Aakriti Handa)