What the hilarious 'red band' trailer means for Priyanka Chopra's Baywatch India release

The official red band trailer for Priyanka Chopra's big Hollywood debut, Baywatch, released on Wednesday. True to its prefix, the trailer is filled with some R-rated humour, cuss words, and profanity which only adds to the hilariousness of the film.

While many of the fans are praising the quality of humour in the trailer, Indian fans are starting to get a little nervous. By definition, a red band trailer is one that does not adhere to the 'green band' restrictions of the Motion Pictures Association of America (MPAA) rating that restricts violence, sexual content, and profanity for 'all audience' viewing. This allows a 'red band' trailer to deliver a complete, unadulterated view for audiences. For a film like Baywatch with its USP of gross comedy, this is the most awaited trailer.

The trailer does have a fill of scenes that might not please the censors in India. From the opening sequence of Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron sharing a kiss, to a whole lot of 'F' words thrown around by the characters. The hilarious sequence of Johnson forcing Efron to lift a dead man's scrotum, and then taking a picture of him doing it, might not work cut ice with the CBFC either.

As for violence and gore, a decapitated foot makes an entrance in the trailer, giving a whole new meaning to the term 'break a leg'. It is hard to not laugh when the director of the Baywatch team keeps day dreaming about Matt Brody being the product of a human and a jet ski inter-species romance, in quite a graphic description.

The scenes are quite hilarious with Johnson and Efron coming across as whole new characters. In addition, Alexandra Daddario's no-nonsense lifeguard adds to the humour in her dissing of Efron's character. Efron, who seems to be the punching bag of the group, is at the brunt of most of the jokes. The trailer is a promising preview of the unabashed humour, and cursing, that makes Baywatch a much awaited film.

While the internet allows for the unrestricted viewing of the trailer, the India release might not see a 'red band' version. The previous Hindi version of the trailer with Chopra as the centre of attention had several of the cuss words cut out, or changed, to make it appropriate for the CBFC. The trailer swapped several 'F' words to a more sedate 'Bewakoof' (Idiots). Then there was the case of a complete organ swap, with 'balls' being replaced by 'dil' and 'mann' (heart).

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The history of CBFC with R rated films has not been good. The last R rated film to arrive in Indian theatres was Deadpool (2016). The film saw multiple cuts before it made its way to theatre screens. Although it numbered to just seven, the content included references to 'male and female reproductive organs', a love making scene, and shots of a head being blown off and a hand being chopped.

Another major release that ran into controversy with the board was James Bond's Spectre (2015). The board earned unanimous ire from film lovers when it decided to cut short kissing scenes in the film, and four scenes of profanity, to provide it with a U/A certificate.

Seth Gordon's film is scheduled to release theatrically in India on 2 June. It releases in US theatres on 25 May. There is enough time for the CBFC to let the scissors run riot. However, it might end up destroying the entire humour of the film. Unless, the translation's hilarity overcomes the original.

Watch the trailer here: