'Santosh': Know Why The Critically Acclaimed Film By Sandhya Suri Has Been Banned In India

India is an important hub of films, with more than 100 films making their way into cinemas every year. However, the censor board in the country has been often called out for banning globally acclaimed films by Indian filmmakers, and the most recent target has been Sandhya Suri's Santosh. The Hindi film, made in collaboration with producers from the West, made its Cannes debut. It became the UK's official entry to the Oscars and secured a BAFTA nomination, making the country proud. But, its way to the Indian audience has been blocked for a controversial reason. Here's why.

Why is Santosh banned in India?

Sandhya Suri's Santosh is banned in India because it failed to get approval from the Censor Board Of Film Certification (CBFC) to release the film in India. The board has expressed its concerns over the negative portrayal of the police force in India. For those aware, Santosh is based on the story of a young widow, played by Shahana Goswami, who inherits the job of a police constable of her late husband and vows to solve the mystery around the murder of a young dalit girl. Sharing her disappointment over the decision, Sandhya Suri told The Guardian:

"It was surprising for all of us because I didn't feel these issues were particularly new to Indian cinema or hadn't been raised before by other films."

As per Sandhya, the CBFC proposed a long list of big cuts. But, the length of these cuts was so long and wide-ranging that it would have been impossible to do it without compromising the film's plot. Although she couldn't mention the exact nature of the cuts due to legal limitations, she emphasised that the cuts were several pages long. Moreover, the board was concerned about the display of negative police conduct and sensitive social problems that are an important part of the film. In her words: 

"It was very important to me that the film be released in India so I did try to figure out if there was a way to make it work. But in the end, it was just too difficult to make those cuts and have a film that still made sense, let alone stay true to its vision."

Sanstosh's script was previously approved by CBFC

Santosh's ban is a new chapter in the larger debate about the growing trend of film censorship in the country. The makers revealed that it has an Indian cast, and they had previously submitted the script to India for approval before starting the production phase and faced no obstacles to its approval. Moreover, India's largest cinema chain intended to distribute the film, but later, CBFC developed issues with the themes of misogyny, Islamophobia, violence in police departments and caste discrimination. Sharing her views on the concern, the director said: 

"I don't feel my film glorifies violence in a way that many other films focusing on the police have done. There's nothing sensationalist about it."

Sandhya Suri reveals why it's important for her to release Santosh in India 

British-Indian filmmaker, Sandhya Suri shares that she was already 'nervous' about the release of the film in India due to the present socio-political scene, but felt that it was important that the ones who suffered something similar to what was showcased in the film could see it. She revealed that the 2012 Nirbhaya case had inspired her to make this film. They haven't received any response from police figures over the ban, and CBFC's decision can only be challenged by a court of law. Sandhya was quoted as saying: 

"Maybe there's something about this film which is troubling in that everybody is morally compromised, and there is no single hero. All my work has been about India; one film was deeply nostalgic, and another was beautiful and sensual. Yes, this one shows another face of the country. But there's humanity in everybody in this film."

What do you think about the ban on Santosh in India?

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