10 Movies That Were Banned By The Censor Board Of India

Many films are banned based on their sexually explicit content, crude language, substance abuse, or if they have potential to disrupt the harmony of the society. 

#1. Fire.

The protagonist duo are named as Sita and Radha. However, the twist here is the relationship that the two women share. They are sisters in law, who eventually fall in love with each other; the movie shows a lesbian relationship.

#2. The Pink Mirror. 

Another movie that was banned on the basis of homosexuality. The Pink Mirror also portrayed transsexuals and transgenders in the movie. This was clearly too much for the censor board to digest and it ultimately banned the movie.

#3. Kissa Kursi Ka. 

A political spoof movie during the reign of the fourth Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi. The movie was a satire on the Indira Gandhi government. It must have been anticipated that it’ll receive a vehement and extreme response. The supporters of the political party burned and confiscated the film prints. Ultimately, the film was banned.

#4. Sikkim. 

The documentary is produced by Satyajit Ray. The film was banned after Sikkim’s merger in India in 1975, as it showed the Chogyal ruled Sikkim as a sovereign state and portrayed how he felt that the sovereignty of Sikkim was under threat.

#5. Indiana Jones and the temple of doom. 

Yes, the famous adventure movie series too did not escape from the clutches of the censor board. This movie depicted Hinduism, Indian culture and traditions in a bad light. The reason was strong enough for the censor board to ban the movie.

#6. Garm Hawa. 

The film’s story revolved around a Muslim family during India – Pakistan partition. The film was banned for eight months, as the censor board feared that it might trigger communal riots in the entire country. However, the director was persistent and showed it to different political parties, leaders, government officials etc.; it finally got the nod from the censor board.

#7. Aandhi. 

Another film inspired by the politics of the country. However, it does not take a satirical tone, yet it was banned during Indira Gandhi’s reign. The movie is based on the life of Indira Gandhi with her personal life being one of the prime focuses. The movie was banned during the Emergency of 1975, but it was un-banned when the Janata party came to the majority in 1977.

#8. Bandit Queen. 

Bandit Queen is a biographical movie based on the life of a famous dacoit, Phoolan Devi. This movie was criticized by Phoolan Devi herself for not being authentic. Another reason for its ban was that the movie had some nude scenes in it.

#9. Paanch

This crime-thriller film is directed by Anurag Kashyap. The reason for this film to be banned is that it glorified sex, drugs, violence and extremely crude language. Even after agreeing to the cuts suggested by the censor board, the film was not released at all.

#10. Final Solution. 

Religion in India has always been and is a sensitive issue in our country. Final Solution is a documentary shot by Rakesh Sharma, based on the 2002 Gujarat communal riots. The censor board feared that it would provoke and trigger the riots and hence banned it.