Censor Board strikes again, bans movie on homosexuality

The Censor Board has struck again. This time, by reportedly banning a film that explores the topic of homosexuality. Unfreedom, the story of a young girl who resists getting into a forced arranged marriage to spend her life with her lesbian partner, has failed to receive the nod by the CBFC.

This comes right after the slew of controversies that the CBFC has been mired in. Recently, Censor Board chief Pahlaj Nihalani had issued a list of banned words, which had sparked a huge protest. Now, the Censor Board seems to have issues with the nudity and lovemaking scenes in Unfreedom.

Along with the story of a lesbian relationship, the film also has a parallel story of a liberal Muslim who is kidnapped by a terrorist. The film, which stars Adil Hussain and Victor Banerjee among others, “challenges the idea of religious fundamentalism and questions its connection with homosexuality which is a biting reality of India,” the director Raj Amit Kumar told Mumbai Mirror.

While the Examining Committee and the Revising Committee stated that “Hindu and Muslims will start fighting and will ignite unnatural passions”, the director condemned this, claiming that his film is not provocative.

Following the Censor Board’s refusal, the director says he even appealed to the Film Certification Apellate Tribunal but to no avail. The director is now making an appeal in the High Court for the same. Meanwhile, the Censor Board’s decision has definitely come as a huge blow to the LGBT community.