The Final, and Toughest, Hurdle for Films in India

The experiences of four films this year form a rough map of the terrain to be negotiated in getting a film to its audience

- Uday Bhatia

In early 2023, Honey Trehan was confident his film would be released. Punjab '95 had a big star, Diljit Dosanjh, a veteran producer in Ronnie Screwvala, and was already being talked about at home and abroad. The film's subject, Jaswant Singh Khalra, had been controversial in his time for exposing extrajudicial killings in Punjab, but that was over 30 years ago. Still, talks with the censors weren't progressing as smoothly as Trehan had hoped. A particular sticking point was the specific number of 25,000 unclaimed bodies mentioned in the film by Khalra. Trehan recalled an exchange with the censor board where the number of bodies was negotiated downwards. "It felt surreal," he told me. "It's like you're saying 5,000-6,000 dead is acceptable, but 25,000 is a crime."

As casting and second unit director on Udta Punjab (2016), Trehan had seen what could happen when the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) decided a film was trouble. The board had suggested close to 90 cuts for that film, which was reduced to one cut after the makers went to the Bombay high court. But Udta Punjab was a provocative, foul-mouthed, drug-filled film. Punjab '95 was a sober human rights story. It would likely be passed with a few cuts and an "A" certificate, he thought. Yet, two years later, Punjab '95 remains unreleased.

Any film, Indian or foreign, seeking theatrical exhibition in the country must have a CBFC certificate. To get this certificate, filmmakers must contend with a number of issues that the board might flag as sensitive and are required to be removed for certification. These could range from religious, political or caste references to particular scenes and words.