Bollywood, India’s prolific film industry, is known for producing a diverse range of cinematic experiences. Some films have pushed the boundaries of storytelling, sparking debates and controversies. In this blog, we’ll explore several Bollywood movies that were banned in India by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), also known as the Censor Board. We’ll delve into the year of the ban, the reasons behind the ban, and introduce you to the main cast members who contributed to these impactful yet controversial classics.
- “Black Friday” (2004)
- Year: The film’s release was delayed until 2007.
- Reason: Directed by Anurag Kashyap, “Black Friday” is based on the 1993 Bombay bombings. The film’s portrayal of real events led to concerns about it potentially influencing public opinion during ongoing trials.
- Main Cast: Kay Kay Menon, Pavan Malhotra
- “Paanch” (Unreleased)
- Year: Early 2000s
- Reason: Anurag Kashyap’s “Paanch” faced censorship due to its violent and dark content, including drug abuse and criminal behavior.
- Main Cast: Kay Kay Menon, Aditya Srivastava
- “Bandit Queen” (1994)
- Year: 1994
- Reason: This Shekhar Kapur directorial is a biographical drama based on the life of Phoolan Devi, a former Indian dacoit turned politician. The film’s explicit content and graphic portrayal of violence led to its ban.
- Main Cast: Seema Biswas, Nirmal Pandey
- “Unfreedom” (2015)
- Year: 2015
- Reason: Raj Amit Kumar’s “Unfreedom” explores themes of homosexuality and religious fundamentalism. The Censor Board deemed the film offensive and against Indian culture.
- Main Cast: Victor Banerjee, Adil Hussain
- “Fire” (1996)
- Year: 1996
- Reason: Deepa Mehta’s “Fire” ignited controversy due to its exploration of a lesbian relationship between two sisters-in-law within a traditional Indian family. The film was seen as offensive to cultural norms.
- Main Cast: Shabana Azmi, Nandita Das
- “Parzania” (2005)
- Year: 2005
- Reason: This film by Rahul Dholakia is based on the 2002 Gujarat riots and the tragic disappearance of a young Parsi boy. The film’s portrayal of the riots was seen as potentially inflammatory, leading to its ban.
- Main Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Sarika
- “Gandu” (2010)
- Year: 2010
- Reason: “Gandu,” a provocative Bengali film by Qaushiq Mukherjee, features explicit content, including nudity and graphic language. The film’s explicit nature led to its ban in India.
- Main Cast: Anubrata Basu, Joyraj Bhattacharya
- “The Pink Mirror” (2003)
- Year: 2003
- Reason: Sridhar Rangayan’s “The Pink Mirror” explored the lives of transgender individuals, a topic considered taboo at the time. The film was banned due to its subject matter.
- Main Cast: Ramesh Menon, Edwin Fernandes, Rati Agnihotri
- “India’s Daughter” (2015)
- Year: 2015
- Reason: Leslee Udwin’s documentary “India’s Daughter” focused on the 2012 Delhi gang rape. The Censor Board banned the film for its sensitive subject matter and interviews with the convicted rapists.
- Main Cast: Documentary
- “Lipstick Under My Burkha” (2016)
- Year: 2016
- Reason: Alankrita Shrivastava’s film depicts the secret lives and desires of four women in a small town in India. The ban was initially imposed due to the film’s sexual content and use of abusive language, but it was later lifted.
- Main Cast: Ratna Pathak Shah, Konkona Sen Sharma
- “Kissa Kursi Ka” (1977)
- Year: 1977
- Reason: “Kissa Kursi Ka” was a political satire that lampooned political figures of the time. The film was banned for its direct and scathing critique of political leaders.
- Main Cast: Shabana Azmi, Raj Babbar
- “Firaaq” (2008)
- Year: 2008
- Reason: Nandita Das’s “Firaaq” is based on the aftermath of the 2002 Gujarat riots. It was banned due to its sensitive subject matter.
- Main Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Paresh Rawal, Deepti Naval
- “Mohalla Assi” (2015)
- Year: 2015
- Reason: “Mohalla Assi,” directed by Chandra Prakash Dwivedi, is a satirical take on the commercialization of spirituality in the holy city of Varanasi. The film faced objections for its portrayal of religious figures and practices.
- Main Cast: Sunny Deol, Sakshi Tanwar
- “Garam Hawa” (1973)
- Year: 1973
- Reason: “Garam Hawa” was banned during its time due to its sensitive subject matter surrounding the partition of India and the communal tensions.
- Main Cast: Balraj Sahni, Farooq Shaikh
- “The Painted House” (2015)
- Year: 2015
- Reason: Satish Kaushik’s “The Painted House” was banned due to its exploration of domestic abuse and the Censor Board’s concerns about its impact on viewers.
- Main Cast: N/A
- “Chatrak” (2011)
- Year: 2011
- Reason: Vimukthi Jayasundara’s Bengali film “Chatrak” was banned for its explicit content and graphic sexual scenes.
- Main Cast: Sudip Mukherjee, Paoli Dam
- “Papilio Buddha” (2013)
- Year: 2013
- Reason: Jayan K. Cherian’s “Papilio Buddha” faced a ban due to its portrayal of caste-based discrimination and its potentially offensive content.
- Main Cast: Kallen Pokkudan, David Briggs, Sreekumar SP
- “MSG: The Messenger” (2015)
- Year: 2015
- Reason: “MSG: The Messenger” was banned for its content that promoted the spiritual leader Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan.
- Main Cast: Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan
These 18 films represent a fraction of the Bollywood movies that have faced bans in India due to their content or themes. While some have seen the light of day with time, others remain banned, fueling discussions about censorship, artistic freedom, and societal norms. These films offer a glimpse into the diverse range of narratives that the Indian film industry has ventured to tell, even if they’ve remained hidden from the mainstream audience.
