Unfreedom is the story of a young woman who resists an arranged marriage to be with her girlfriend
India’s Central Board of Film Certification has banned a lesbian film which it claims would ‘ignite unnatural passions’ in viewers.
Unfreedom is the story of a young woman who resists an arranged marriage to be with her girlfriend and contains nudity and lesbian sex scenes, which irked the board.
A parallel storyline revolves a terrorist who kidnaps a liberal Muslim.
‘The two stories are juxtaposed and the film challenges the idea of religious fundamentalism and questions its connection with homosexuality which is a biting reality of India,’ director Raj Amit Kuma told the Bangalore Mirror.
‘They plainly told me that after watching the film, Hindu and Muslims will start fighting and will ignite unnatural passions. I was aghast as my film is not provocative,’ he said.
The filmmaker appealed to the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal but was denied a certificate.
‘I’m making an appeal in the High Court now as the censor board cannot tell a filmmaker what to make and what not to,’ he said.
Unfreedom will be released in North American theaters on 29 May.
Earlier this month, Indian censors muted the word ‘lesbian’ in the film Dum Laga Ke Haisha, sparking cries of homophobia.