10 Bollywood Movies That Were Banned By The Censor Board

1. KamaSutra: A Tale Of Love (1996)

The censor board has termed this movie as ‘explicit’, ‘unethical’ and ‘immoral’, the irony being that Kama Sutra, as a matter of fact, has its origin in India. The movie also had scenes of homosexuality and heterosexuality which could probably be the reason for banning it in a country like India. Although it was a hit with the critics, it was a flop at the censor board due to hypocrisy.

2. The Pink Mirror (2003)

The censor board, known for its decisions to ban the ‘vulgar’ movies, even after getting used to some ’experimental movies’ was not ready for movies relating to gender issues. This movie, clearly being about gender issues was a gay teenager trying to seduce a straight man and the quest of two transsexuals. This film, being banned in India, was screened in numerous festivals around the world, gaining awards. Even the critics have applauded it for the sensitivity and ‘touchy portrayal of marginalized community’

3. Black Friday (2004)

This movie was about the ‘Bombay Bomb Blasts’ which was apparently considered too ‘dark’ by the censor board to be released in India. The film confronted a stay order from The Bombay High Court and still is a ‘slated to release’ due to the 1993 blasts. It was imperative for the general population to know about the ‘dark truth’ which was apparently been hidden and never faced light.

4. Sins (2005)

An erotic journey of a priest who falls for a woman and gets sexually included with her, with obsession & lust, he suffered the unacceptable norms of the society since these wrong doings did not run well with the Catholics.. The censor board blamed an ‘immoral light’ on the religion and also had problems with the nude scenes, resulting in the sins never getting projected.

5. Water (2005)

Known for its ‘dark insights of the life of a widow’, due to the controversy, was banned by the censor board. Anurag Kashyap Born on 10th September 1972, Anurag Kashyap has es >> Read More... , the writer, took up issues like ‘misogyny and ostracism’ which was apparently Greek to the censor board back then. The movie was also attacked by the protesters, destroying the sets of the film.

6. Gandu (2010)

A film, as can be portrayed from its name, showed a lot of scenes of nudity and oral sex which obviously, not coming as a surprise to us, was banned by the censor board, giving a reason that it ‘defied Indian sensibilities’. This movie was shot in white and black and was a ‘rap musical’. It made its international premiere at the South Asian International Film Festival at New York Click to look into! >> Read More... and at that point was an official choice at the 2011 Berlin International Film Festival.

7. Inshallah, Football (2010)

A documentary about a Kashmiri Boy who aspires to be a famous footballer one day and travel abroad. However, he was not allowed to travel out of India due to his father being in militancy. The intention of this film was to bring out the problems and sacrifices made by the civilians due to the insurgencies and militancy in the Kashmir region. Although the purpose of necessity was not achieved as the movie was prohibited by the censor board due to the ‘sensitive topic’.

8. Dazed In Doon (2010)

2010 being the ‘banning year’ suffers one more loss, this movie, about a boy studying in the Doon School and how his life leads from there. The problem here was with the Doon School which is a very respected school had problems with the content and did not find it amusing and believed that it spoilt the name of the school and hence got it banned.

9. Unfreedom (2014)

This being a modern day thriller, talking about a lesbian love story entangled with Islamic terrorism. The two most hated topics of the censor board were shown in this movie and hence, obviously was banned by them. The censor board couldn’t handle the love making scenes and nudity and also accused the movie of “igniting unnatural passions”.

10. Lipstick Under My Burkha (2017)

This being the latest one to be prohibited by the blue pencil board, expressing that "The story is woman arranged their dream above life. There are sexual scenes, injurious words, sound obscenity and somewhat touchy touch around one specific area of society". The film debuted at the Tokyo and Mumbai Film International celebration, where it won the Spirit of Asia Prize and the Oxfam Award for Best Film on Gender Equality.