As the clock keeps ticking on Bharat's release, Salman Khan and director Ali Abbas Zafar are giving finishing touches to their passion project. The Katrina Kaif-starrer procured a UA certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) last week. While the CBFC did not recommend deletion of scenes, mid-day has it that Zafar made 24 voluntary cuts in the drama after submitting the original version to the Censor Board. Reason — the team apparently felt that at a runtime of three hours, the ambitious drama was too long for its own good.

Says a trade source, "The original duration of Bharat was three hours and the makers felt that the story needed to be tighter. To get a second opinion, they arranged a special screening for friends and family members, including Salim Khan, three weeks ago. While they appreciated the movie, Salim ji pointed out that the duration should ideally be brought down to under 165 minutes."