NEW DELHI: The Censor Board has replaced profanities like “asshole” and “balls” with words like “idiot” and “cats” in the latest James Bond film ‘Spectre’. The spy thriller, released on Friday, was given a U/A certificate after the producers agreed to four cuts. These included reducing the two kissing scenes between Bond and his leading ladies by 50%, deleting about 54 seconds of the passionate exchange.Also, “asshole” has been replaced with “idiot” while “bastard and balls” have been replaced with “bighead and cats”.“We are the most liberal board and the cuts have been done only as per the context. If the film has to be seen by family audiences, we could not allow such scenes,’’ Censor Board chief Pahlaj Nihalani said. Spectre has been given a U/A certificate that allows universal viewing with parental guidance for children below 12 years of age.Intimate scenes in previous Bond thrillers were blurred or edited out completely, Nihalani said, hitting out at detractors who have accused him of over-zealous censorship.Nihalani has been under fire for cutting Spectre’s kissing scenes. Social media trolled the development with #sanskari james bond trending for two days.The Central Board for Film Certification (CBFC) had given Bond film Casino Royale a U/A certificate but only after an “intimate scene in the hotel’’ was snipped out completely while another was reduced to a flash. A torture scene was reduced by 60% before the flick was released in 2006.The next Daniel Craig starrer Skyfall only managed to get a U/A certificate in 2011 after the producers agreed to blur “a love-making scene’’ and a liquor brand. In comparison, Nihalani contended that intimate scenes had been retained but only the duration reduced in the latest Bond film.Nihalani, who has been accused by members of running the board as his personal fiefdom, denied allegations that he was watching all the movies. “I am not seeing all movies and I have no role to play in that. But I do sign the certificate, that is my role and my right,’’ he said.The censor board chief has also courted controversy for producing a video praising PM Narendra Modi. Board member Ashoke Pandit even suggested that Nihalani had used his official position to ensure that movie halls played the film along with the Salman Khan starrer ‘Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’. Denying this, Nihalani said, “He is just trying to gain publicity by defaming me. I have been in the film exhibition and distribution business for 40 years and do not need any other influence. I have friends everywhere.’’