The film stars Shahana Goswami, Sunita Rajwar, Sanjay Bishnoi, and Khushal Dubey. (Image-Instagram/shahanagoswami)
The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has halted the Indian release of the film Santosh, the UK’s official Oscar entry. The censor board raised concerns over the film’s portrayal of “misogyny, Islamophobia and violence” in the Indian police force. The film stars Shahana Goswami as the lead and features Sunita Rajwar, Sanjay Bishnoi, Khushal Dubey, and others in supporting roles.
Santosh, a Hindi crime drama written and directed by British Indian filmmaker Sandhya Suri, explores the life of a young widow who joins the police force and investigates the murder of a young Dalit girl. The film deals with themes of caste discrimination, sexual violence, Islamophobia and police brutality.
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The CBFC Certification Issue:
As per reports, the CBFC has demanded extensive cuts in the film for granting a CBFC certification. Several scenes depicting police brutality were asked to be removed from the film with the board raising concerns over the film’s “negative” portrayal of police.
Regarding the censorship, director Suri said that the censor had demanded a list of radical cuts, which are lengthy and wide-ranging. The board added that it would be impossible to implement. Even though the director couldn’t share the exact demands of the CBFC, she revealed that the list of cuts were so long it had gone on for several pages and included concerns about themes relating to police conduct and wider societal problems that are deeply baked into Santosh.
Notably, the filmmakers had previously submitted the script in order to film in India and had faced no issues. India’s largest cinema chain was also on board to distribute the film in January.
The film’s writer and director, Suri, described the decision by the censors as “disappointing and heartbreaking.” She also shared that it was surprising for the team, since these issues were not particularly new to Indian cinema or something that had not been raised before by other films.
Suri emphasised that even though the film offered an uncompromising depiction of the police, it didn’t glorify violence, just like other films focusing on the police. “There’s nothing sensationalist about it,” she added.
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The Oscar-nominated film ‘Santosh’
Set in rural North India, Santosh follows a 28-year-old widow who takes her late husband’s job as a police officer and has to investigate the case of a young girl’s murder.
Written and directed by Sandhya Suri, this film was selected as the UK’s entry for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards. Santosh made its debut at the Cannes film festival to widespread acclaim.
