censorship

From ‘Satluj’, a broader message: Punjab needs a truth and reconciliation commission

July 18, 2026 9:18 am

The debate should not revolve around eulogising or condemning militants or state agencies alone. Both acted within a larger ecosystem of political failure. The real question is not who pulled the trigger but who created the conditions in which violence replaced democratic dialogue

Cancelled by your future self? The fear isn't censorship. It's permanence

July 11, 2026 3:32 pm

For a generation raised on searchable lives, the biggest threat to free expression isn't censorship—it's knowing every half-formed thought could live forever.

Indian film censorship saw arguably its darkest days under Pahlaj Nihalani's CBFC reign

June 04, 2026 7:15 pm

From 89 cuts ordered in Udta Punjab to dubbing Lipstick Under My Burkha as "too women-oriented", Pahlaj Nihalani's tenure as the CBFC chairperson was mired in controversies.

Deepfake media is a problem. But new 3-hour takedown rule will restrict free speech

February 17, 2026 2:17 pm

Non-consensual AI images, election disinformation, and impersonation scams do require strict regulations, and in this regard, the amendment is a welcome change. However, speech restrictions need to be narrowly tailored, proportionate, and directly related to the identified harms in Article 19(2) of the Constitution

Seeking veto over Sahitya Akademi awards, government targets one of the last bastions of intellectual freedom

December 19, 2025 4:50 pm

The culture ministry’s intervention, stalling the announcement of the awards, represents a direct assault on Akademi’s tradition of autonomy, signalling an end to the era of non-interference

Anurag Kashyap took Hindi dictionary to CBFC screening when they objected on the word 'chu***a': 'What is the definition of an adult?'

July 16, 2025 9:45 pm

Anurag Kashyap pointed out that movies offering moral science lessons and messages urging people to do good don't bring about any actual changes.

Janaki v/s State of Kerala: Janaki is everywhere. But only CBFC sees a problem

July 11, 2025 10:12 pm

Not only is the CBFC going beyond its remit to decide what filmgoers in India can and cannot watch, but it is also deciding how they might feel about a film before it is even released

A censor board that fears the truth is not protecting culture, it is impoverishing it

July 02, 2025 6:27 pm

“Cinema is the mirror of society,” Satyajit Ray once said, and like all good mirrors, it is bound to reflect blemishes, contradictions, and inconvenient truths

Phule, Dhadak 2 and Santosh: Fight for creative freedom is inseparable from fight for social justice

April 22, 2025 5:31 pm

An independent and transparent CBFC, free from political and social biases, is essential to ensure that cinema can fulfil its role as a medium for truth-telling and social critique.

Censoring historical facts in the upcoming Hindi film 'Phule' will defeat its purpose

April 10, 2025 1:45 pm

The postponement and sanitisation of the film on the life of the anti-caste reformer raises questions. The lives of Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule were a clarion call against amnesia, a demand for accountability. They deserve better

No, I am not interested in bodily excretions: Shoojit Sircar

June 17, 2015 8:40 am