DeepaMehta's 'Videsh'is in censor trouble. Asked to drastically reduce scenes of domestic violenceand to beep out a couple of expletives, she stood her ground, and not a singleshot from the film has been cut.

Mehta, who is no stranger to censorship,said: "I told them I won't make a single cut. And they were welcome togive me an 'A' certificate if they wanted. They agreed. Not a single shot from'Videsh' has been removed."

"I refused to let them cut a singlemoment from it. Luckily my distributor Ravi Chopra was with me. He too wouldsettle for no cuts. He said so many films with so much more violence get a 'U'certificate. Films showing irrelevant gratuitous violence gets passed.

"But when in 'Videsh' we show whathappens behind closed doors, we're told to cut it out. No way! You've horrificstories of young girls being beaten up and abused in Mangalore and Mumbai. If Imake a film about it, they'll see these things can't be shown," she added.

Mehta said: "The violence in 'Videsh'is not manipulative. Wives are physically abused in front of the whole family.Children grow up thinking there's nothing wrong in beating up women and littlegirls who witness their mothers being battered actually believe getting beatenup is their destiny."

About the expletives, Mehta laughs:"We've a whole recent history of Hindi films filled with maa-bahen kigaali. The kid in 'Videsh' says the 'f' word twice once when his mother tellshim to fasten his seat belt. How shocking is that!"

Sighs Mehta: "I'm tired of the hypocrisy in censorship. You know, inthe days when Asha Parekh was the censor chief they passed my 'Fire' without asingle cut and with a 'U' certificate. The objection to the film came from theShiv Sena. And now when there's rampant violence against women, I was asked tocut it down. I said I'd rather not screen the film in India."