10 Bollywood movies that were initially refused by the censor board
Last updated on - Jan 2, 2018, 17:17 ISTShare fbsharetwsharepinshare
01/1110 Bollywood movies that were initially refused by the censor board
India produces an enormous number of movies every year in different languages. In terms of number, Bollywood is the largest film industry in the world. Though India is a very progressive nation, censor board of film certification carefully scrutinizes the subject of every movie. Not all the films are allowed to get released. There are exceptions to which censor board has to show a red signal. Still, audiences managed to grab a hold of those movies through their own way. Some of them are critically acclaimed by film fraternity of other countries. Here we talk about other controversial movies that were initially banned by Censor Board but ended up grabbing a lot of appreciation across the world.
02/11‘Bandit Queen’
This film was not allowed to hit screens due to its vulgar language and nude scenes. Obviously, the subject of the movie demanded it, unlike today’s movies where such vulgar language is forced to make it hot among young audiences.
03/11‘Black Friday’
This film too joined the list of banned movies in Bollywood. ‘Black Friday’, which was based on the infamous Mumbai blasts of 1993 that was masterminded by Dawood Ibrahim, was banned by the censor board for almost three years due to its controversial content. The film later got leaked and then released online.
04/11‘Fire’
The film was banned because it showed homosexuality. However, it received worldwide acclaim. The film’s display was disturbed in some theaters across India by a few Hindu fundamentalists. Some political party called for a ban on the movie for depicting a lesbian relationship on screen. The film later was withdrawn from the theaters and sent back to the Censor Board. The film stars Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das in significant roles was later released uncut.
05/11‘Gandu’
This film was basically a rap musical which features the complicated life of the protagonist who is referred to as 'Gandu' by other people. Even though the film received great critical acclaim abroad, it was banned in India. The film chased much controversy due to certain oral sex scenes and nudity and was eventually not released in the country.
06/11‘Hava Aney Dey’
This film with small-time actors almost went unnoticed in the news. ‘Hawa Ane Dey’ was banned by the censor board in 2004 because the director of the film Partho Sen Gupta refused to the cuts suggested by the board. The film later was released on YouTube. However, it got several selections and bagged the best film award at an international film festival.
07/11‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’
The film was denied certification by the censor board, which said that the story was lady oriented their fantasy above life. The board further also objected to the audio pornography, sexual scenes and bad use of words in the film. Interestingly, the movie has won spirit award at an international film festival and also at the Mumbai film festival as well.
08/11‘Peddlers’
The film was scheduled for a release in 2013, but it never made it until the end. The film was instead released at an independent film event in southern France. The film is set in Mumbai and revolves around 20-year-old destitute boys who get trapped in the drug trade and a young cop, who tracks them. The film features Gulshan Devaiah, Nishikant Kamat, Kriti Malhotra, Nimrat Kaur and Siddharth Menon in the lead roles.
09/11‘The Pink Mirror’
The Indian release title of the film was ‘Gulabi Aaina’. It is said to be the first film which focused on the transsexuals and how they tried to seduce a man. The film never got released in India but has screened at numerous festivals all over the world and won awards.
10/11‘Unfreedom’
The film was banned in the country because it defined the free-spirited topics like homosexuality and brutal struggle to find one's identity. It was also acclaimed at the international film awards for the category of Foreign Feature Film. The censors denied it a certificate quoting that the film’s sensitive issue could be a cause for religious clashes and the depiction of sex between the same genders may lead to dire consequences.
