'Marco': First Indian action film to get Singapore's 'R21' rating
The Malayalam-language action thriller Marco, featuring Unni Mukundan, has been rated R21 by Singapore's censor board, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), reported OTTplay. The rating limits viewership to adults aged 21 and above owing to its "strong violence and gore." The film's makers had earlier promoted it as "the most violent Indian film ever," a claim that is now seemingly corroborated by this rating.
'Marco' outdid 'Animal,' 'Salaar: Part 1 Ceasefire' in violence
The IMDA defended Marco's R21 rating because of its "prolonged sequences of violence with strong, graphic details of injury and bloodletting." The film features brutal violence and gore like dismemberment and the killing of pregnant women and children. This level of graphic content exceeds other violent Indian action films like Ranbir Kapoor's Animal and Prashanth Neel's Salaar: Part 1 Ceasefire, which only got an M18 or Mature 18 rating from the Singapore censor board.
'Marco' joins select group of Indian films with R21 rating
While Marco is the first Indian action film to get an R21 rating, it isn't the first Indian film overall to do so. Mani Ratnam's Bombay, Rajkummar Rao's Badhaai Do, Anil Kapoor's Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga, and Ayushmann Khurrana's Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan also received the rating. However, they were rated R21 for their "homosexual theme," the IMDA website stated.
Fans and critics react to 'Marco's R21 rating
The R21 rating of Marco has sparked discussions among fans and critics. On Reddit, one user noted that such a rating is typically reserved for exploitation films like the Saw and Terrifier franchise. Another user agreed that Marco's level of gore is comparable to Hollywood films. However, some users felt it was unfair to compare Marco to Saw or Terrifier as the latter films could make most people "vomit."
