The unceremonious exit of the Chairman of Central Board of Film Certification was long overdue, given the controversies that happened in his tenure. While there can be no one in the world who can please everybody, the autocratic and illogical decisions of the incumbent, with the backdrop of moral policing alienated him from the large sections of serious movie-watchers.
Which brings us to our topic today : Hindi films which were banned !
Films can be banned by Censors, or Courts, either temporarily or permanently. The reasons may be ranging from political overtones of the content of the film, excessive and gory violence and sex or controversial content with regard to religion or communities. But there are other reasons too, as we shall explore.The ban,even if it is a partial one ( few scenes cut ) is a form of censorship and merits examination of the circumstances under which it is decreed.
The earliest instance of a film being banned and all prints getting confiscated was that of a 1957 film called, ironically, Begunah !
The film, a comedy, starred Kishore Kumar and Shakila. Kishore Kumar plays a character who has got an ailment of hiccups when he is in presence of girls. Except, of course, when Shakila is around. The reason for the film getting banned was that it was a frame-by-frame copy of Warner Brothers' film Knock on Wood. The foreign film company decided to drag the producers of Begunah to court and after a couple of years the court decided in favour of Warner Brothers, ordering all prints of the film to be seized and destroyed.This must be the one and only instance , since it did not deter Hindi film-makers to copy foreign films.
The film had great music by Shankar Jaikishan. One song Ae pyase dil bezubaan , by Mukesh was picturised on a young Jaikishan playing a piano.
The sixties were largely untouched by regulatory authorities, probably because of the non-political and pristine nature of films being made. A couple of films ( Neel Akasher Neeche- for exhibiting political overtones in Bengal and Gokul Shankar- for glorifying Nathuram Godse) did undergo the ban, but this was not publicised too much.
But in early 70s, there was a film which the Censor Board ( as the CBFC is generally called !) found fit to ban. Well, not ban actually, but its release was held up for a period of 8 months after which people got to see Garam Hawa, one of the iconic films on Partition. The story of a Muslim family during the period of enormous bloodshed and strife which followed the Independence , was not considered fit to be screened,fearing its impact on the public.
Kama Sutra:a tale of love was bound to be controversial as the subject mandated explicit picturisation. The two minutes of nudity made the film a talked-about affair.Initially banned for picturisation in India, the film was finally released but after clipping off the two-minute scene.
Fire was the film which created the maximum heat, pun intended. A story of female characters played by Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das, the controversy was two-fold: their lesbian relationship and the names of the characters. While same-sex relationships were still a taboo, it was expected to be in rough waters. However, the bigger fracas happened because the names of the two characters were Radha and Seeta. The film was taken off after release and referred back to CBFC. The film was released again and met with vandalism and protest. However, the film was, ultimately, screened and had its run at the box-office, before audiences lost interest and moved on to newer releases.
The case of the 2004 film Hawa Aaaney De is really interesting.
This film was not accepted by Censors without cuts totalling upto 20 minutes, which was not agreed by the producer.Hence, the film was never released in India, despite being on the agenda of a film festival in India. The subject of the film was about interactions of characters from Hindu and Muslim communities, with the backdrop of a possibility of Indo-Pak war.
समझदार को इशारा काफी है !
Films based on communal riots are , obviously, prone to censorship, as it is apprehended that their release may incite large-scale disruptions.The Punjabi film Hawayein (2003) was banned and another film Amu (2005) , also had to suffer cuts before they could be certified.Both these films were based on 1984 Sikh genocide.The Gujarat riots was the subject of the film , Parzania ( 2005) , which faced protests and bans in Gujarat and was not permitted to be released in that state.
Films having religion as the core idea also attract protests and bans. One such film was Sins ( 2005) , depicting erotic journey of a Kerala priest, triggering protests from the catholic community. CBFC banned the film on grounds of nudity, though.The Bengali film Gandu ( 2010) was also banned for explicit content and nudity.
While films like Black Friday and Water were embroiled in court cases and public protests , without getting a brush with Censors, the film which did get into rough weather was Unfreedom ( Daagh Ujala) , a 2015 production. The film was objected to because of sexuality, violence, LGBT issues with a focus on Muslims. The Examining Committee rejected the film and, on appealing, the Revising Committee suggested cuts for releasing the film.The producer did not agree to the cuts and the Appellate Tribunal banned the film, irrespective of the cuts. This is the only film banned till date and not agreed to be released.
The most intriguing case is the latest in the line of such episodes. The trailers of the film Mohalla Assi, starring Sunny Deol were shown in cinema halls in 2015 and the public waited for their favourite actor portraying the role of a Sanskrit teacher and an orthodox priest in Varanasi's mohalla. However, since the film was contemporary in nature, showing events of Eighties and Nineties, the charges of hurting religious sentiments were levelled and the censor banned it in April 2016.
It remains to be seen , if the changes in CBFC are going to make it more liberal or more conservative.
Only time will tell...
Which brings us to our topic today : Hindi films which were banned !
Films can be banned by Censors, or Courts, either temporarily or permanently. The reasons may be ranging from political overtones of the content of the film, excessive and gory violence and sex or controversial content with regard to religion or communities. But there are other reasons too, as we shall explore.The ban,even if it is a partial one ( few scenes cut ) is a form of censorship and merits examination of the circumstances under which it is decreed.
The earliest instance of a film being banned and all prints getting confiscated was that of a 1957 film called, ironically, Begunah !
The film, a comedy, starred Kishore Kumar and Shakila. Kishore Kumar plays a character who has got an ailment of hiccups when he is in presence of girls. Except, of course, when Shakila is around. The reason for the film getting banned was that it was a frame-by-frame copy of Warner Brothers' film Knock on Wood. The foreign film company decided to drag the producers of Begunah to court and after a couple of years the court decided in favour of Warner Brothers, ordering all prints of the film to be seized and destroyed.This must be the one and only instance , since it did not deter Hindi film-makers to copy foreign films.
The film had great music by Shankar Jaikishan. One song Ae pyase dil bezubaan , by Mukesh was picturised on a young Jaikishan playing a piano.
The sixties were largely untouched by regulatory authorities, probably because of the non-political and pristine nature of films being made. A couple of films ( Neel Akasher Neeche- for exhibiting political overtones in Bengal and Gokul Shankar- for glorifying Nathuram Godse) did undergo the ban, but this was not publicised too much.
But in early 70s, there was a film which the Censor Board ( as the CBFC is generally called !) found fit to ban. Well, not ban actually, but its release was held up for a period of 8 months after which people got to see Garam Hawa, one of the iconic films on Partition. The story of a Muslim family during the period of enormous bloodshed and strife which followed the Independence , was not considered fit to be screened,fearing its impact on the public.
In 1975, the proclamation of Emergency was decidedly not the right time for a film, whose protagonist was said to be based on Prime Minister ( or was it Tarkeshwari Sinha ?) . Aandhi , which was based on the novel by Kamleshwar titled Kaali Aandhi was banned by the then government. Suchitra Sen played the role of the main character, with the white streak of hair so well-known to the viewers ! The film was released in 1977 on national TV when the new government had taken over. A great political drama with all-round excellence ( music, dialogues, performances), it is a shame that this film bore the brunt of being politically incorrect.
Another film which was released after Emergency was Kissa Kursi Ka. In fact, it was re-made after the original prints were destroyed by the government, as it was lampooning Emergency. The character played by a dumb Shabana Azmi was named Janta and the autocratic leader Gangu ( The Gangu of कहाँ राजा भोज कहाँ गंगू तेली becoming the Raja !) was played by Manohar Singh.
The film was submitted for certification before the Emergency was declared. However, the seven-member committee suggested 51 cuts, which the producer did not agree.With Emergency being promulgated in June, the prints of the spoof were collected and burnt , which was later proved in a court of law and the accused were sentenced too.
The film made by Arjun Nahata was a brave attempt to voice dissent in the times of dictatorship.
The film was submitted for certification before the Emergency was declared. However, the seven-member committee suggested 51 cuts, which the producer did not agree.With Emergency being promulgated in June, the prints of the spoof were collected and burnt , which was later proved in a court of law and the accused were sentenced too.
The film made by Arjun Nahata was a brave attempt to voice dissent in the times of dictatorship.
The issue of censorship/banning is essentially related to Article 19 (1) a of the Constitution , which is " Freedom of Expression". However, in practice, reasonable restrictions, stated in Clause 2 of the same Article, go with the Right.
Muzzling any form of expression ( the "right to expression" is often called the "right to dissent", but manifests itself in the "right to offend" !) is dangerous for the society as it opens the door for dictatorship, as we have seen in the past. The subjectivity creeps in due to sensibilities of the authorities imposing the restrictions, times prevalent and the sensitive nature of content, which may be akin to a " spark in gas godown" . Ultimately, by not restricting the content, who takes the blame, if the situation on the ground turns explosive ? So, it remains a debate which has balanced sides and therefore, makes it difficult to take a decision pleasing all.
The Eighties had no noticeable episodes save temporary banning of the English film Indian Jones and the Temple of Doom, since it depicted Indians in a negative light. However, in the Nineties, there was a film called bandit Queen which created a lot of controversy. Replete with crass language, realistic picturisation of violence and sexual content and a narrative not told in such stark manner, generally. Phoolan Devi, then an MP , on whom the film was based got Delhi High Court to ban the film, albeit temporarily. She challenged the authenticity, which was never in doubt , having been made by Shekhar Kapoor. The film was released and appreciated.
Muzzling any form of expression ( the "right to expression" is often called the "right to dissent", but manifests itself in the "right to offend" !) is dangerous for the society as it opens the door for dictatorship, as we have seen in the past. The subjectivity creeps in due to sensibilities of the authorities imposing the restrictions, times prevalent and the sensitive nature of content, which may be akin to a " spark in gas godown" . Ultimately, by not restricting the content, who takes the blame, if the situation on the ground turns explosive ? So, it remains a debate which has balanced sides and therefore, makes it difficult to take a decision pleasing all.
The Eighties had no noticeable episodes save temporary banning of the English film Indian Jones and the Temple of Doom, since it depicted Indians in a negative light. However, in the Nineties, there was a film called bandit Queen which created a lot of controversy. Replete with crass language, realistic picturisation of violence and sexual content and a narrative not told in such stark manner, generally. Phoolan Devi, then an MP , on whom the film was based got Delhi High Court to ban the film, albeit temporarily. She challenged the authenticity, which was never in doubt , having been made by Shekhar Kapoor. The film was released and appreciated.
The Nineties saw many controversial films being made, also in regional languages, which attracted the ire of Censors.The 1991 film Kuttrapathirikai ( Tamil for Charge-sheet) was based on Rajiv Gandhi's assasination, which was banned.
In 1996, two film made splashes of the kind we are talking about.
In 1996, two film made splashes of the kind we are talking about.
Kama Sutra:a tale of love was bound to be controversial as the subject mandated explicit picturisation. The two minutes of nudity made the film a talked-about affair.Initially banned for picturisation in India, the film was finally released but after clipping off the two-minute scene.
Fire was the film which created the maximum heat, pun intended. A story of female characters played by Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das, the controversy was two-fold: their lesbian relationship and the names of the characters. While same-sex relationships were still a taboo, it was expected to be in rough waters. However, the bigger fracas happened because the names of the two characters were Radha and Seeta. The film was taken off after release and referred back to CBFC. The film was released again and met with vandalism and protest. However, the film was, ultimately, screened and had its run at the box-office, before audiences lost interest and moved on to newer releases.
A film which was banned for showing excessive violence and vulgarity was a black comedy, Urf Professor ( 2000). Another film Divya Drishti met the same fate that year.
Another film, a big one, which was banned for glorifying drugs, violence and sex was Anurag Kashyap's 2001 film Paanch, based loosely of Pune's Joshi-Abhyankar serial murder case. The depiction of drug abuse, coupled with bad language made the CBFC ban the film. The film was a product of Kashyap's college day experiences and his study of the serial murder case files. The film was later cleared but did not get a theatrical or home video release. However, it was released in various film festivals, around the world.
Another film, a big one, which was banned for glorifying drugs, violence and sex was Anurag Kashyap's 2001 film Paanch, based loosely of Pune's Joshi-Abhyankar serial murder case. The depiction of drug abuse, coupled with bad language made the CBFC ban the film. The film was a product of Kashyap's college day experiences and his study of the serial murder case files. The film was later cleared but did not get a theatrical or home video release. However, it was released in various film festivals, around the world.
In 2003 , a film titled The Pink Mirror ( Hindi release called Gulabi aaina) was subjected to ban by CBFC , as it explored the story of trans-sexuals and transgenders. The film was found 'vulgar and offensive' by the Board and was never released in India. it did get screened in film festivals.
The case of the 2004 film Hawa Aaaney De is really interesting.
This film was not accepted by Censors without cuts totalling upto 20 minutes, which was not agreed by the producer.Hence, the film was never released in India, despite being on the agenda of a film festival in India. The subject of the film was about interactions of characters from Hindu and Muslim communities, with the backdrop of a possibility of Indo-Pak war.
समझदार को इशारा काफी है !
Films based on communal riots are , obviously, prone to censorship, as it is apprehended that their release may incite large-scale disruptions.The Punjabi film Hawayein (2003) was banned and another film Amu (2005) , also had to suffer cuts before they could be certified.Both these films were based on 1984 Sikh genocide.The Gujarat riots was the subject of the film , Parzania ( 2005) , which faced protests and bans in Gujarat and was not permitted to be released in that state.
Films having religion as the core idea also attract protests and bans. One such film was Sins ( 2005) , depicting erotic journey of a Kerala priest, triggering protests from the catholic community. CBFC banned the film on grounds of nudity, though.The Bengali film Gandu ( 2010) was also banned for explicit content and nudity.
While films like Black Friday and Water were embroiled in court cases and public protests , without getting a brush with Censors, the film which did get into rough weather was Unfreedom ( Daagh Ujala) , a 2015 production. The film was objected to because of sexuality, violence, LGBT issues with a focus on Muslims. The Examining Committee rejected the film and, on appealing, the Revising Committee suggested cuts for releasing the film.The producer did not agree to the cuts and the Appellate Tribunal banned the film, irrespective of the cuts. This is the only film banned till date and not agreed to be released.
The most intriguing case is the latest in the line of such episodes. The trailers of the film Mohalla Assi, starring Sunny Deol were shown in cinema halls in 2015 and the public waited for their favourite actor portraying the role of a Sanskrit teacher and an orthodox priest in Varanasi's mohalla. However, since the film was contemporary in nature, showing events of Eighties and Nineties, the charges of hurting religious sentiments were levelled and the censor banned it in April 2016.
It remains to be seen , if the changes in CBFC are going to make it more liberal or more conservative.
Only time will tell...
1 comment:
The first film to be banned in India, by the Censors was film The Mill-1934, made on a story by Munshi Premchand ji.
Later it changed its some parts and the Title to Gareeb Parwar aka Daya ki Devi and released on 9-5-1936.
Secondly, film Begunah-1957 was NOT banned by the courts "after few years", but in flat One month's time the film was banned and all the available prints were destroyed under court's supervision. Within that One month tie thousands of people saw the film. I was one of them in 1957.
-Arunkumar Deshmukh
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