The Voice of Hind Rajab’s India release blocked by CBFC, board member says ‘It would affect India-Israel relationship’

Manoj Nandwana revealed that he had screened the film for the CBFC in February in hopes of securing timely approval for its planned March 6 release. However, the clearance never came through. According to him, a CBFC member said, “If it gets released, it would affect the India-Israel relationship.”

Disagreeing with the reasoning, Nandwana said, “I told them the India-Israel relationship is strong enough that it’s unrealistic to think a film could break it. The Voice of Hind Rajab has already been released in the U.S., U.K., Italy, France, and several other countries that share ties with Israel.”

The decision comes amid deepening diplomatic ties between India and Israel under Narendra Modi, with his recent visit marking a significant milestone in a relationship that has steadily evolved over the decades.

The Voice of Hind Rajab had earlier received widespread acclaim, earning over 20 minutes of standing ovation at its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September, where it also won the Silver Lion.

ALSO READ | Dhurandhar 2 Box Office Collection Day 1 LIVE Updates

This development adds to the ongoing scrutiny surrounding the CBFC, which has frequently made headlines for its censorship decisions—often criticised as inconsistent. While certain films face cuts or delays over political or thematic concerns, others have been cleared with relatively fewer objections.

In a recent critique for SCREEN, Jyothi Jha highlighted such inconsistencies, noting that while the CBFC objected to Akshay Kumar portraying Lord Shiva in OMG 2—prompting changes to avoid hurting religious sentiments—it raised no issue with the objectification, crass humour, and voyeuristic elements in Housefull 5, which was granted a U/A certificate. Tamil film Jana Nayagan is still battling it out in the court to get a censor clearance. That film was supposed to release in January for Pongal.