From 'Punjab ’95' to 'Monkey Man', films that might never be released in India thanks to the CBFC

Stills from Punjab `95 and Monkey Man

In recent times, the CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification) has often been found on the wrong side of the news for holding up the release of multiple films. The independent body is responsible for reviewing every film before its release and granting an appropriate censor certificate. However, the board has lately been accused of causing roadblocks in the release of films with unusual and unexplained delays in issuing certificates.

Some weeks ago, filmmaker Nikkhil Advani issued an official statement about his upcoming film ‘Vedaa' starring John Abraham and Sharvari facing an ‘unusual delay' caused by the CBFC. The filmmaker while talking to Mid-day claimed he was ‘ghosted' by the board after they submitted the film well in advance for screening.

While ‘Vedaa' has now received a clearance with a U/A certificate, their window for promotions was reduced by half which can possibly have an impact on the release of the film as it is being released on a crowded weekend, the Independence Day weekend has multiple films across India scheduled for release.

Of late, some other films have also faced unprecedented delays without much explanation by the CBFC.

Punjab ‘95:

One of the films which have been a victim of CBFC's delays is ‘Punjab '95', directed by Honey Trehan and starring Diljit Dosanjh. The film is based on the life of Punjab-based activist Jaswant Singh Khalra. The film, produced by RSVP, was submitted to the censor board way back in December 2022. The team is still awaiting clearance from the board. After the first round of censoring, the makers were asked to make 21 cuts which the makers challenged. This led to a delay in the certification process and eventually the removal of the film from festivals like Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), London Film Festival, and MAMI.

A source close to the film told mid-day.com that the makers were later asked to make 35 cuts, which then went up to 42, and finally 65. The makers obliged the demands made by the board and presented the film with all the cuts. At the time, the country was preparing for the Lok Sabha elections. The board asked the makers to wait until the elections were over to release the film, owing to the sensitive nature of the story.

However, post the elections, everything went quiet on the censor front. The source added that a new revising committee was set up after the elections who viewed the film with the 65 cuts mandated by the previous committee.

"They saw and okayed the changes and later said that censor board chief Prasoon Joshi would view the film after which a certificate would be issued. This happened over 15 days ago and there has been pin-drop silence since then. They don't even acknowledge the presence of filmmakers," the source revealed.

So what is it that the CBFC does not wish for the audience to see in a film that is based on a real-life story?

The film has details that are not in the public domain, says the source, adding that the board demanded a change in the name of the protagonist as well as the film's title. "The makers have been asked to not mention 1984 or Indira Gandhi's name in the film," the source shared. The reason behind the decisions was not made clear to the makers especially when an upcoming film named ‘Emergency', based on former PM Indira Gandhi's term, has not faced similar objections.

The source also informed that some of the members of CBFC liked the film and requested a copy of the original to show their kids. "Some CBFC members said that their hands are tied and they shared their sympathies with the makers," shared the source. The film was also watched by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, which is an unusual practice.

Back in 2014, the makers, who had then produced 'Udta Punjab', had landed in trouble with the censor board. However, they had the option to fight and challenge the decisions by the CBFC in court. "It is not the same today. Back then there was an option to fight it in the court," said the source, citing the change in political climate as one of the reasons.

Despite all these levels of censoring, the board has gone silent on the makers and refused to clear the film or underline the real reasons behind delaying the release of the film.

Monkey Man:

Dev Patel's debut directorial ‘Monkey Man', with a primarily Indian cast, opened to rave reviews globally earlier this year. However, the only country that has not green-signaled the release of the film is India, as the film could not obtain a clearance from the censor board.

The film was supposed to hit the theatres on April 19 in India. According to latest reports, the board has avoided the screening of the film for its Examining Committee. As per a report in The Hindu, Universal Studios made a few changes in the original cut of the film, by "clipping scenes which sharply emphasized the nexus between religion and politics." The makers also changed the colour used in the political banners in many scenes in the film from saffron to red.

‘Monkey Man' revolves around an underdog street fighter who ends up becoming a vigilante superhero. Dev's character fights against the mighty and the rich, who oppress the downtrodden and are also responsible for his mother's death. However, his quest for vengeance takes an unexpected turn as he becomes a champion for the oppressed and powerless.

Rang De Basanti (Bhojpuri):

Prasoon Joshi was also accused of delaying the censor certificate for the Bhojpuri film ‘Rang De Basanti'. The makers of the big-budget film had accused the CBFC chief of deliberately delaying the film as it had the same title as that of Aamir Khan's 2006 film. Prasoon was associated with the 2006 film as a lyricist. The film, which was supposed to be released on March 22, was submitted for screening to the board on February 21. The team did not receive any response until March 6 after which they wrote a letter to the Board. On March 8, they received a call from the board asking if they could change the name of the film. The producer denied saying that they have already promoted the film with the name and all documents have that as the film's title.

Talking to Bollywood Hungama, producer Roshan Singh explained why he felt that Prasoon Joshi is deliberately targeting his film, "In 2008, a Bhojpuri film, Rang De Basanti Chola, had already been released. But Mr Prasoon wasn't the chairperson then. Interestingly, another Bhojpuri film submitted for censor is Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gam. Its screening happened a day after Rang De Basanti's screening. But since the chairperson wasn't involved with the Hindi film of the same name, he didn't hold it. It was passed on March 5."

Meanwhile, Pahlaj Nihalani, filmmaker and ex-CBFC chairperson and a vocal critic of the current chairperson, told Bollywood Hungama that he's aware of this episode and said, "CBFC works only for the corporates. It doesn't care much for small Hindi or regional films. If Rang De Basanti featured a big star, CBFC 3-4 din mein certificate de deti."

The film starring Khesari Lal Yadav was finally given a clearance and released in theatres on June 7.

Mid-day.com contacted members of the CBFC for a comment on the topic but there hasn't been any response so far. This article will be updated once a statement is received.