This is a list of films that have been or are banned in India. This list includes titles that were refused a rating by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) initially or permanently. The list also includes films whose release or production was or are blocked by the central or a state government, or by a legal institution. Also included are films that faced a virtual ban, after theatre owners were compelled to stop screening by non-government groups.
| Date | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Summertime | Banned due to its depiction of an American woman falling in love with a married Italian man.[1] |
| 1959 | Neel Akasher Neechey | It was banned for two months for overt controversies of sexual harassment overtones; it showed the troubles faced by an immigrant Chinese wage laborer in 1930s Calcutta.[2] |
| 1963 | Gokul Shankar | It was banned for depicting the psychological motivations of Nathuram Godse, the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi.[3] |
| 1973 | Garam Hawa | The release was held up by the censors for 8 months. The film depicted a Muslim family during the partition of India.[4] |
| 1975 | Aandhi | It was banned during the Emergency by Indira Gandhi and subsequently released in 1977 after the Janata Party came into power.[5] |
| 1977 | Kissa Kursi Ka | A political spoof, the film was banned by the Congress government for lampooning the Emergency.[6] The master prints and all copies was lifted from the Censor Board office and burned by Sanjay Gandhi supporters.[7] The movie was later remade with a different cast. |
| 1971 | Sikkim | The film was banned after Sikkim's merger in India in 1975, as it showed the Chogyal-ruled Sikkim as a sovereign state. The ban was lifted in September 2010.[8] |
| 1979 | Khaak Aur Khoon | Film banned by India's CBFC. Based on the book Khaak aur Khoon,[9] which was banned nationwide.[10] |
| 1984 | Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom | It was banned temporarily for its "negative" depiction of Indians because of a scene, set in India, where characters are served monkey brains. Monkeys are seen as sacred animals in Hinduism. The ban was later rescinded.[11] |
| 1987 | Pati Parmeshwar | It was denied a rating by the Censor for depicting a woman in "ignoble servility" of her husband. Later, the Bombay High Court allowed its release.[12][13] |
| 1993 | Kuttrapathirikai | The film was completed in 1993. As it had Rajiv Gandhi's assassination as a backdrop, it was not released until 2007.[14] |
| 1994 | Bandit Queen | It was banned temporarily by the Delhi High Court after Phoolan Devi, the subject of the film's story, challenged its authenticity.[15] |
| 1996 | Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love | It was banned due to sexual content.[16] The version released in India had 2 minute cut of nudity. |
| 1996 | Fire | On its opening day in India, some film theatres were attacked by Hindu fundamentalists for depicting a lesbian relationship.[17] The film was withdrawn and sent back to the Censor Board.[18] Later it was released uncut.[19] |
| 2001 | Paanch | It was banned for glorifying drugs, sex and violence, later certified with cuts but went unreleased.[20] |
| 2003 | Hawayein | The film, set against the backdrop of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, is banned in the Indian states of Delhi, J&K, Haryana and Punjab.[21] |
| 2004 | The Pink Mirror | The film was denied a rating for its homosexual content.[22] |
| 2004 | Final Solution | The documentary film was banned by the Censor Board for being provocative and under concerns that it may trigger communal violence.[23] It was based on the 2002 Gujarat violence. But, it was cleared after some months.[24] |
| 2004 | Hava Aney Dey | The movie was not approved by the Censor Board because the director didn't accept the suggested 21 cuts.[25] |
| 2005 | Black Friday | The movie was based on the 1993 Bombay bombings. The release was blocked until the verdict of the lawsuit by the Bombay High Court on the petition of the under-trials.[26] The film was originally set to be released in India on 28 January 2005.[27] The producers appealed in the Supreme Court but the High Court order was upheld. The movie finally saw its release on 9 February 2007.[28] |
| 2005 | Amu | This movie, based on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, was initially denied a rating. The film was later given an adult rating after some audio-cuts.[29][30][31] |
| 2005 | Water | The movie faced opposition during its shooting from hardline Hindu organizations in Varanasi. The sets were destroyed.[32] The Uttar Pradesh government decided to stop the shooting on 31 January 2000.[33] The shooting was shifted to Sri Lanka later. The movie was released in India much later, in March 2007. |
| 2009 | Had Anhad | The Central Board of Film Certification refused a certificate to this Shabnam Virmani documentary without cuts. In 2011, Delhi High Court allowed the film to be released uncut and asked the Union of India to pay ₹10,000 to the petitioner as legal fees.[34] |
| 2010 | Gandu | The film was banned in India due to explicit sexual scenes.[35] |
| 2011 | The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | It was banned for its scenes of rape and torture. The Central Board of Film Certification demanded that these scenes be cut, which the director David Fincher refused to do.[36] |
| 2011 | Chatrak | The movie wasn't allowed a theatrical release due to its sexual content.[37] |
| 2013 | Papilio Buddha | Initially banned due to its criticism of Mahatma Gandhi, its released was allowed after the anti-Gandhi speeches were muted and/or blurred.[38] |
| 2014 | Gurjar Aandolan | This film was banned by Rajasthan Government after the Intelligence Bureau (Rajasthan Government) watched this movie in Laxmi Talkies, Jaipur, on the day of its release on 17 October 2014. This film was based on Gurjar agitation in Rajasthan in 2008 by the Gurjar Leader Colonel Kirori Singh Bainsla. Many newspapers and media reported this ban on 17 and 18 October 2014. |
| 2014 | No Fire Zone | The Sri Lankan Civil War documentary was not allowed for public screening by the Censor Board because it depicted the war crimes covered up by the Government of Sri Lanka and showed the real sufferings of Tamils whom Indian Government felt resentful for. Director Callum Macrae decided to release the film on the internet to circumvent the ban.[39] |
| 2014 | Kaum De Heere | The film was banned by the central government after the Intelligence Bureau had warned that the film may cause communal tensions. The film glorified the assassins of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.[40] |
| 2015 | Fifty Shades of Grey | The film was not given a rating by the Censor Board, even after voluntary cuts by the distributor.[41] |
| 2015 | Main Hoon Rajinikanth | Notable south Indian actor Rajinikanth moved the Madras High Court to stop the release of this film stating that it violated his personality rights. A stay was granted, and the makers of the movie were directed to not use the superstar's name, image or likeness.[42] The director Faisal Saif later said he had shown the film to the actor and his lawyers to assure them. The film's title was later changed to Main Hoon (Part-Time) Killer.[43] |
| 2015 | Unfreedom | The film was denied a rating by the Censor Board. The film examined same sex relationships and religious fundamentalism in India. The director Raj Amit Kumar was told by the Board that film will cause clashes between Hindus and Muslims, and will provoke "unnatural passions".[44][45] The film's streaming was later allowed through Netflix in India.[46] |
| 2015 | India's Daughter | This television documentary about the 2012 Delhi gang rape was prevented from being broadcast by a stay order from a court,[47] due to perceived negative public sentiment[48][49] including remarks defending the rape[49][50] which drew public outcry in India when the film was shown.[51] The movie was uploaded to YouTube and the Indian government requested it be removed.[52] |
| 2015 | Patta Patta Singhan Da Vairi | The movie was initially denied clearance by CBFC, but was later cleared by the Film Certificate Appellate Tribunal (FCAT).[53] |
| 2015 | Porkalathil Oru Poo | The movie is about the real life of Isaipriya, a television journalist raped and murdered by members of the Sri Lankan Army during the final stages of the Sri Lankan Civil War. It was denied clearance by CBFC as it would damage India-Sri Lanka relations.[54][55] |
| 2015 | The Mastermind Jinda Sukha | The film was cleared by the CBFC but banned by the Minister of Home Affairs. The film is based on the lives of the assassins of General Arun Shridhar Vaidya. The makers of the film decided to release it overseas.[56] |
| 2015 | The Painted House | The CBFC denied a rating to film for containing nudity. They suggested the scenes should be blurred or deleted.[57] |
| 2015 | Muttrupulliyaa | The film, based on the aftermath of the Sri Lankan Civil War, was in banned in India by the CBFC as it would damage Indo-Sri Lanka relations though the film was screened in Sri Lanka itself. The ban was later lifted by the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal. However, the filmmaker had to morph the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam flags, cut out photographs of its slain leaders and state that the film was a work of fiction inspired by real events.[58][59] |
| 2016 | Mohalla Assi | The CBFC denied a rating to the film. The film deals with the commercialisation of the pilgrimage city Varanasi.[60] On 11 December 2017, Delhi High Court allowed the release of the film with one cut and adult certification, setting aside the order of CBFC.[61] |
| 2016 | Dharam Yudh Morcha | This movie is related to Punjabi Suba movement and a period of militancy. Indian release of the film banned by the CBFC.[62][63] |
| 2017 | Neelam | The film, based on the Sri Lankan Civil War and the rise of the Tamil Groups including the LTTE, ran into trouble with the CBFC with the board refusing to certify the movie as it would damage India-Sri Lanka relationship.[64] |
| 2017 | Toofan Singh | The CFBC banned this movie about Khalistan Liberation Force member Toofan Singh in 2016. The movie was released internationally in 2017.[65] |
| 2022 | Anthem for Kashmir | This short film on human rights abuses in Kashmir was blocked for viewership in India on YouTube by the Government of India through a notice from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY).[66][67] No reason was cited in this Ministry notice for the censorship.[68] The film is available to watch on YouTube using a VPN in India and without a VPN outside India.[69] |
| 2023 | India: The Modi Question | This BBC documentary examining the role of the Indian prime minister Narendra Modi in the Gujarat riots of 2002 was blocked by the Government of India.[70] |