On August 25, the Bombay High Court directed the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to clear Ajey: The Untold Story of a Yogi for release without any cuts, thus ending the makers’ month-long battle with the board that originally demanded 29 cuts. The ordeal, however, has left director Ravindra Gautam reconsidering a theatrical release of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s biopic. Instead, the director has initiated conversations with streamers for an OTT release.  

When we get on a call with Gautam, he admits that the tussle -- which first saw the Examining Committee rejecting the film has taken a toll on him. “They rejected the film without even seeing it. The committee gave 30 cuts. Thirty cuts which were irrelevant. It is such a beautiful film that we have made. As a filmmaker, I feel it is my responsibility to make a neutral film. A film that does not spark any violence, caste violence, or anything like that. It is a very personal film, the journey of one person. That’s what I liked about it — the fact that only in India can a person born in a remote village, with no political background, no religious backing in the family, rise to become the Chief Minister of one of India’s most populous states. That’s a 360-degree turn that no one had dared to show."

Ravindra Gautam and Yogi Adityanath