They all say cut

Why Some Movies in India Don’t Get to Be Seen

In India, before a movie can be shown in theatres, it has to get approval from a group called the CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification). This group checks if movies are okay for people to watch. But sometimes, the process gets messy, and movies don’t get released—or they get changed so much that even the makers don’t recognize them!

Let’s look at some real examples:

• Sardaarji 3 is a Punjabi movie. It wasn’t allowed to release in India just because it had a Pakistani actress—even though the film was made before a time when India stopped allowing some things from Pakistan.
  
• Janaki vs State of Kerala, a Malayalam film, got stuck because the CBFC said using the name Janaki (which is another name for Sita from Ramayan) for a character who faces a lot of trauma might hurt religious feelings. They wanted her name changed to Janavi.
  
• Punjab 95, a movie based on a true story, has been stuck for years. The director says the CBFC wants 127 changes! He feels that if he agrees, it won’t even be his movie anymore—it’ll be the CBFC’s version.
  
• Udaipur Files was approved by the CBFC, but just before it could be shown everywhere, some people complained. The court said the government must hear those complaints first, so the movie was paused.
  

So even though each case is different, the problem is the same: Anyone who says they’re “hurt” can stop a movie. Sometimes, even the government and courts don’t protect the filmmakers. And the CBFC, which is supposed to help, often ends up making things worse.

Some people say the CBFC is acting like it did back when the British ruled India—controlling what people can or can’t say. Others say it behaves like a character from old stories who wants to cut off heads without thinking!

India’s film industry already faces many problems from outside—like global competition and new technology. At the very least, it should be free to express itself at home. Movies are stories—and stories belong to everyone, not just the few who get easily offended.

So maybe the real question is:
Why not let people decide what they want to watch?

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