24 Movies In India Which Got Banned By The Censor Board

Director Alankrita Shrivastava’s Lipstick Under My Burkha was denied certification by the censor board earlier this year for having some explicit sex scenes and abusive words in it. The censor board came in for a lot of flak from all quarters after which it was cleared with a few cuts. The flick went on to do decent business at the box-office becoming one of the sleeper hits of 2017.

Director Raj Amit Kumar’s Unfreedom starring Victor Banerjee, Adil Hussain, and Preeti Gupta, was in the news a couple of years back for its unconventional plot which dealt with Muslim fundamentalism and homosexuality. 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. The director refused to accept the cuts advised by the censor board making the authorities impose a complete ban on the film. Though the film joins the list of uncensored movies its camera version can be viewed on YouTube.

Milap Zaveri’s sex-comedy Mastizaade starring Sunny Leone, Tusshar Kapoor, and Vir Das was banned by the censor board for its sexual content. After suggested cuts, the movie was passed by the censors and was released on 29th January, 2016. The movie remains as one of those Bollywood sex-comedies which you cannot watch with your parents.

This B-grade Bollywood film was banned for having superstar Rajinikanth’s name in its title. Earlier titled Main Hoon Rajinikanth, the film was taken to the court by Southern superstar Rajinikanth before its release. The court ordered a title change for the film following which the titled was changed to Main Hoon Part-Time Killer. The film was directed by Faisal Saif and produced by Mrs. Saroj and had music by Bappi Lahiri, Shibani Kashyap, Basit Faryad and Leena Shah.

This lesser-known Malayalam film was not given a certificate by the CBFC for showing the female lead nude in a few scenes. The director’s of the film Santosh Babusenan and Satish Babusenan refused to delete the scenes as the film continues to remain unreleased despite making it to YouTube and other foreign film festivals. Make sure to Watch The Painted House Movie alone when your parents are not around.

This Bengali film directed by Sri Lankan director Vimukthi Jayasundara was also banned by the censors for displaying explicit frontal nudity and sexual content. Despite the makers deleting the recommended sex scenes, the film received negative feedback by the audiences but was applauded while screened at several film festivals, worldwide. Watch the trailer of Chatrak below.

The name itself was enough for the censor's to raise an objection to this dark Bengali film. Gandu was a rap musical flick which got banned for its nudity and explicit sex scenes. Shot in monochrome format, the film was instantly banned for it defied Indian sensibilities but it caught the attention of many online.

Despite garnering rave reviews in Film festivals abroad, Firaaq faced a ban by the Indian censor board for showing scenes that were likely to hurt the sentiments of Hindus and Muslims. The film which was the directorial debut of actress Nandita Das was based on true incidents that happened during the Gujarat riots in 2002. 

Deepa Mehta’s Water faced the ire of some extremist groups while shooting her film in Varanasi. The groups waged a campaign of death threats to its makers and actors before stalling the shoot. The film received a ban subsequently as director Deepa Mehta changed the star cast to release it outside India.

The Pink Mirror (Gulabi Aaina) produced and directed by Sridhar Rangayan was reportedly the first transsexual film of India which unfortunately the list of banned Bollywood movies of India. The movie faced a ban from the censor board for depicting sex among homosexuals which was considered too much for the former to clear. Despite garnering rave reviews at film festivals globally, the film remains unreleased in India due to explicit sexual scenes, defying Indian sensibilities.

Director Vinod Pande’s Sins starring Shiney Ahuja and Seema Rahmani was based on a true story which took place in Kerala where a church priest gets sexually involved with a young woman. The film too underwent the censor scissors where after the makers were suggested to cut some nude scenes and scenes projecting Catholicism in a bad light. The film, however, got a release but went unnoticed at the ticket counters.

The Konkona Sen Sharma starrer Amu directed by Shonali Bose was based on the massacre of thousands of Sikhs during the 1984 riots. The censor board banned the film in view of the potential threat it would’ve caused to the harmony of the country. Despite following the censor board’s suggestion of cutting some objectionable scenes, the film never got an official release.

Rahul Dholakia’s Parzania starring Sarika and Naseeruddin Shah depicted a story set among the Gujarat riots which took place in 2002. The film which revolved around a Parsi family whose son named Azhar goes missing during the Gujarat riots had to be banned from showing in theaters for its sensitive subject. Despite the film winning a National Award, it was not considered suitable enough for political parties to be screened in Gujarat.

Director Anurag Kashyap’s Black Friday 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.

This lesser-known 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.

Based on the real-life of famous serial killers Joshi and Abhyankar, Anurag Kashyap’s directorial debut ‘Paanch’ starring Kay Kay Menon and Tejaswini Kolhapure had to face the heat from the censor's for it contained high-octane violence, glorifying drugs, sex, and crass language. ‘Paanch’ was yet another movie banned at censor board which was later certified with cuts but continues to lie in the cans. 

Director Mira Nair’s Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love remains one of the much talked about movies of Bollywood which faced a ban due to its overdose of sexual content. The curiosity among viewers grew as it was reported that several erotic scenes in the film depicting heterosexuality and homosexuality had to be deleted to get a release in India. Though the content was deemed too explicit and expressive for the Indian audiences, the film finally got a release with a 2 minute cut of nudity.

Director Deepa Mehta’s Fire, a take on lesbian drew a lot of flak on its release before making it to the list of banned movies in India. The film’s display was disrupted in some theaters across India by a few Hindu fundamentalists. The Shiv Sainiks 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. Fire starring Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das in pivotal roles was later released uncut.

Another satirical comedy which features in banned movies. Directed by I.S. Johar, Nasbandi was a take on the sterilization drive imposed by Sanjay Gandhi during the emergency rule in 1975. The film which touched upon men’s sexual overdrive and India’s growing population faced a ban for portraying the then ruling party in bad light. However, the film gained cult status on home videos and satellite broadcast after the ban was lifted.

Director Shekhar Kapur’s biopic on the life and times of noted dacoit Phoolan Devi, Bandit Queen was banned by the censor board in India for its sexual content, nudity and obscene language. The film initially was banned temporarily by the Delhi High Court after Phoolan Devi challenged the authenticity of the film's story. After a lot of ups and downs, the film did manage to get a release in 1996 and Shekhar Kapur went on to bag that years Filmfare Best Director trophy. 

Kissaa Kursee Kaa, a political spoof on India’s emergency period imposed by the then reigning Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, also finds itself on the list of banned movies in India. The movie highlighted how the politicians misused power during the Indira Gandhi government. The film directed by Amrit Nahata received a lot of flak and demonstrations by the supporters of the political party who burnt and confiscated the film prints. The film was banned but somehow found popularity when released on various movie streaming sites.

Gulzar’s Aandhi starring Sanjeev Kumar and Suchitra Sen was banned in 1975 during the emergency. It was accused of portraying the personal life of the then Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi on the screen which was played by Suchitra Sen. The movie was later un-banned when the Janata party came into power in 1977. Aandhi songs remain a favourite with many to date.

M.S. Sathyu’s Garm Hawa which was based on a Muslim family during India – Pakistan partition was banned for eight months in 1973 before its release. The then censor board feared that the scenes depicted in the film might trigger communal violence in the country. After the makers showed it to various political parties and leaders, it was passed by the censor board.

Pankaj Advani's black comedy Urf Professor starring Manoj Pahwa, Yashpal Sharma, Antara Mali and Sharman Joshi was defied a release by the censor board for having some explicit and vulgar scenes aligned with bold language. Though the film had an intriguing storyline but the bold scenes irked the censors to make it join the likes of banned movies in India.