Banned films of Bollywood

1. Since there exists nothing like a please-all film, many films end up irking some segment or the other and in the process a few of them end up getting prohibited from screening. 

This is more likely in a multi-cultural and conservative country like India. This trend of film censorship originates from the Cinematograph Act 1918, which was later repealed by the Cinematograph Act, 1952.

2. Though India has, over the years, become more liberal towards sensitive and sexual themes being portrayed on the big screen, some daring ideas have been occasionally shot down.

Vijay Anand as the Censor Board chief had mooted the idea of issuing censor certificates for pornographic films, a genre that is still illegal in India. But the then Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Sushma Swaraj turned down the proposal. Anand resigned from his position.

We take you on a walk back on the censored lane.

3. In November 2008, actor-producer Kamal Khan's Deshdrohi on the Marathis versus North Indian issue was banned by the Maharashtra government on grounds that it will escalate tensions.

4. Rahul Dholakia's 2007 film Parzania starring Naseeruddin Shah and Sarika was based on the true story of a 10-year-old Parsi boy who disappeared during the 2002 Gujarat riots. 

The Censor Board had cleared the film, but it was not screened in Gujarat because of an unofficial ban.

5. Similarly in 2009, Nandita Das' debut directorial venture Firaaq, also based on the Gujarat riots of 2002, was not screened in the state. 

Firaaq, an ensemble film with multiple interconnected narratives, was set over a 24-hour period, one month post the riots.

6. Ashutosh Gowarikar's magnum opus Jodhaa Akbar, starring Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, was banned in Madhya Pradesh and in parts of Haryana in addition to Rajasthan where it wasn't released. 

The Rajput community had raised objections about the depiction of Jodhaa Bai as Akbar's queen. 

The Akhil Bharatiya Kshatriya Mahasabha had even threatened to burn cinema halls screening the film.

7. The 2005 film Tango Charlie starring Sanjay Dutt, Sunil Shetty, Bobby Deol and Ajay Devgan was banned in Assam, after the state's Bodo community opposed its distorted portrayal in the film.

8. Aamir Khan faced opposition in Gujarat following his expression of support for the people displaced by the Sardar Sarovar project. 

Aamir's film Fanaa, co-starring Kajol and directed by Kunal Kohli, did not screen in the state due to a virtual ban.

9. Madhuri Dixit's comeback film Aaja Nachle was banned in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab. 

Some sections of the Dalit community had objected to a derogatory reference in the title song. 

The producers of the film subsequently removed the erring words from the song and issued an apology. 

The concerned state governments later lifted the ban.

10. Black Friday director Anurag Kashyap's film based on the book Black Friday - The True Story of the Bombay Bomb Blasts by S Hussain Zaidi took two years to reach Indian theatres. 

The Bombay High Court had stayed the release of the movie till the trial in the 1993 Bombay bomb blasts case was over. 

Black Friday finally hit Indian screens on February 9, 2007.

11. Paanch was Anurag Kashyap's directorial debut, but the film has not yet been released. 

The film was refused certification by the Censor Board which thought that the film, about five serial killers, was too violent and because it did not have a social message.

12. The release of Deepa Mehta's Fire resulted in violent protests by right-wing groups in many cities. 

The depiction of the lesbian relationship between two sisters-in-law, played by Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das, irked the protesters. 

The film was temporarily withdrawn from the theatres. The third film in Deepa Mehta's "Elements" trilogy could not be shot in India following opposition by certain Hindu groups.

13. Director Mira Nair could release her 1996 film Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love in India only after knocking the doors of the court. 

The sexual content of the film had sparked off a debate. The version released in India had two minutes of nudity clipped off.

14. Shekhar Kapur's film on Phoolan Devi Bandit Queen faced problems with the censors due to the crude language and sexual content. 

The producers then approached the Supreme Court, which paved the way for the film's release.

15. Amrit Nahata's controversial film Kissa Kursi Kaa had ruffled the feathers of Sanjay Gandhi and the Congress party. 

The prints and negatives of the film were destroyed. The film was later reshot.

16. Gulzar's Aandhi was banned during the Emergency. 

The film was in its 24th week post release when the Indira Gandhi government banned it. 

The female protagonist in the film, played by Suchitra Sen, had some similarities with the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

17. The 1973 film Garam Hawa based on a short story by Ismat Chugtai was banned by the Censor Board. 

The film was about a Muslim family that chose to stay back in India after Partition. 

The authorities feared that the film could incite communal riots.

18. The 1934 film Mazdoor directed by Mohan Dayaram Bhavnani was based on a novel my Munshi Premchand. 

The film was banned because of its nationalist message.